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POETICAL WORKS 



OF 



EDWi:Nr AEXOLD 



f 



CONTAINING 

THE LIGHT OF ASIA 

THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS 

PEARLS OF THE FAITH 



NEW YORK : 
JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY, 

14 AND 16 ^'ESEY Street. 



^; 



J T n E 



LIG-HT OF ASIA 



BEINO 



THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA, 

Prince of India and Founder of Buddhism. 



BY 

EDWIN ARNOLD, M.A. 

WITH NOTES 
By MRS. I. L. HAUSER, 



I 



Copyright, 1882, 
By The Useful Knowledge Publishing Company. 



48 65 55 

JUL 2 1942 



THIS VOLUME 



IS DUTirtJXLT INSCRIBED TO 



THE SOVEREIGN, GRAND MASTER, AND COMPANIONS 



OF 



STl)^ ittost (i%aiuh (Drber of tl}e Star of Inbia .., 



BT 



THE AUTHOR, 



3 



H 




PREFACE. 



In the following Poem I have sought, by the mediam 
of an imaginary Buddhist votary, to depict the life and 
character and indicate the philosophy of that noble hero 
and reformer, Prince Gautama of India, the founder of 
Buddhism. 

A generation ago little or nothing was known in Europe 
of this great faith of Asia, which had nevertheless existed 
during twenty-four centuries, and at this day surpasses, in 
the number of its followers and the area of its prevalence, 
any other form of creed. Four hundred and seventy mil- 
lions of our race live and die in the tenets of Gautama ; 
and the spiritual dominions of this ancient teacher extend, 
at the present time, from Nepaul and Ceylon over the 
vdiole Eastern Peninsula to China, Japan, Thibet, Central 
Asia, Siberia, and even Swedish Lapland. India itself 
might fairly be included in this magnificent empire of be- 
lief, for though the profession of Buddhism has for the 
most part passed away from the land of its birth, the 
mark of Gautama's sublime teaching is stamped inefface- 
ably upon modern Brahmanism, and the most characteris- 
tic habits and convictions of the Hindus are clearly due 
to the benign influence of Buddha's precepts. More than 
a third of mankind, therefore, owe their moral and relig- 

V 



■~''^'~^"'" ■ -n I «i » I 






Vi PREFACE. 

ious ideas to this illustrious prince, whose personality, 
though imperfectly revealed in the existing sources of in- 
formation, cannot but appear the highest, gentlest, holiest, 
and most beneficent, with one exception, in the history of 
Thought. Discordant in frequent particulars, and sorely 
overlaid by corruptions, inventions, and misconceptions, 
the Buddhistical books yet agree in the one point of re- 
cording nothing — no single act or word — which mars the 
perfect purity and tenderness of this Indian teacher, who 
united the truest princely qualities with the intellect of a 
sage and the passionate devotion of a martyr. Even M. 
Barthelemy St. Hilaire, totally misjudging, as he does, 
many points of Buddhism, is well cited by Professor Max 
Miiller as saying of Prince Siddartha, " Sa vie n'a point de 
cache. Son constant heroisme egale sa conviction ; et si 
la theorie qu'il preconise est fausse, les exemples person- 
nels qu'il donne sont irreprochables. II est le modele 
acheve de toutes les vertus qu'il preche ; son abnegation, 
sa charite, son inalterable douceur ne se dementent point 
un seul instant. ... II prepare silencieusement sa doc- 
trine par six annees de retraite et de meditation ; il la pro- 
page par la seule puissance de la parole et de la persua- 
sion pendant plus d'un demi-si^cle, et quand il meurt 
i.ntre les bras de ses disciples, c'est avec la serenite d'un 
sage qui a pratique le bien toute sa vie, et qui est assur^ 
d'avoir trouve le vrai." To Gautama has consequently 
been given this stupendous conquest of humanity ; and — • 
ihough he discountenanced ritual, and declared himself, 
even when on the threshold of Nirvana, to be only what 
all other men might become — the love and gratitude of 
Asia, disobeying his mandate, have given, him fervent 




PREFACE. VU 

i worship. Forests of flowers are daily laid upon his stain- 
] less shrines, and countless millions of lips daily repeat the 
I formula, " I take refuge in Buddha ! " 
^ The Buddha of this poem — if, as need not be doubted, 
i he really existed — was born on the borders of Nepaul, 
I about 620 B.C., and died about 543 b.-c. at Kusinagara in 

IOudh. In point of age, therefore, most other creeds are 
youthful compared with this venerable religion, which has 
, in it the eternity of a universal hope, the immortality of a 
I boundless love, an indestructible element of faith in final 
j good, and the proudest assertion ever made of human 
freedom. The extravagances which disfigure the record 
and practice of Buddhism are to be referred to that in- 
I evitable degradation which priesthoods always inflict upon 
I great ideas committed to their charge. The power and 
i sublimity of Gautama's original doctrines should be es- 
timated by their influence, not by their interpreters ; nor 
by that innocent but lazy and ceremonious church which 
has arisen on the foundations of the Buddhistic Brother- 
hood or '' Sangha." 

I have put my poem into a Buddhist's mouth, because, 
to appreciate the spirit of Asiatic thoughts, they should 
be regarded from the Oriental point of view ; and neither 
I the miracles which consecrate this record, nor the phi- 
I losophy which it embodies, could have been otherwise so 

i naturally reproduced. The doctrine of Transmigration, 
for instance — startling to modern minds — was established 
and thoroughly accepted by the Hindus of Buddha's time ; 
that period when Jerusalem was being taken by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, when Nineveh was falling to the Medes, and 
Marseilles was founded by the Phocaeans. The exposi- 



Be(]«nn<«9*vn'«Hi 



VIU PREFACE. 

tion here offered of so antique a system is of necessity 
incomplete, and — in obedience to the laws of poetic art — 
passes rapidly by many matters philosophically most im- 
portant, as well as over the long ministry of Gautama. 
But my purpose has been obtained if any just conception 
be here conveyed of the lofty character of this noble 
prince, and of the general purport of his doctrines. As to 
these there has arisen prodigious controversy among the 
erudite, who will be aware that I have taken the imper- 
fect Buddhistic citations much as they stand in Spence 
Hardy's work, and have also modified more than one 
passage in the received narratives. The views, however, 
here indicated of " Nirvana," " Dharma," " Karma," and 
the other chief features of Buddhism, are at least the 
fruits of considerable study, and also of a firm conviction 
that a third of mankind would never have been brought to 
believe in blank abstractions, or in Nothingness as the 
issue and crown of Being. 

Finally, in reverence to the illustrious Promulgator of 
this " Light of Asia," and in homage to the many eminent 
scholars who have devoted noble labors to his memory, 
for which both repose and ability are wanting to me, I 
beg that the shortcomings of my too hurried study may 
be forgiven. It has been composed in the brief intervals 
of days without leisure, but is inspired by an abiding 
desire to aid in the better mutual knowledge of East and 
West. The time may come, I hope, when this book and 
my "Indian Song of Songs" will preserve the memory 
of one who loved India and the Indian peoples. 

EDWIN ARNOLD, C.S.L 
London, July, 1879. 



— r 



THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 



13 00k tl)e i^irst. 



The Scripture of the Saviour of the Worlds 
Lord Buddha^ — Prince Sidddrtha^ styled on ear-th- 
in Earth and Heavens and Hells Incomparable^ 
All-honored, Wisest, Best, most Pitiful ; 

The Teacher of Nirvdna and the Law. 

Thus came he to be born again for men. 

Below the highest sphere four Regents sit^ 
Who rule our world, and under them are 2ones 
Nearer, but high, where saintliest spirits dead 
Wait thrice ten thousand years,^ then live again ; 
And on Lord Buddha, waiting in that sky, 
Came for our sakes the five sure signs of birth^ 
So that the Devas^ knew the signs, and said 
"Buddha will go again to help the World." 
" Yea ! " spake He, " now I go to help the World 

9 



V 



■ ZCM—tJf^Tm — ^-^-•*».^-W..«^«^,»-m-l ■ * ■■■MBT— ■ 



10 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

This last of many times ; for birth and death 
End hence for me and those who learn my Law. 
I will go down among the Sakyas,' 
Under the southward snows of Himalay, 
Where pious people live and a just King." 

That night the wife of King Suddhodana/ 
Maya the Queen,® asleep beside her Lord, 
Dreamed a strange dream ; dreamed that a star from 

heaven — 
Splendid, six-rayed, in color rosy-pearl, 
Whereof the token was an Elephant^" 
Six-tusked and whiter than Vahuka's" milk — 
Shot through the void and, shining into her, 
Entered her womb upon the right. Awaked, 
Bliss beyond mortal mother's filled her breast, 
And over half the earth a lovely light 
Forewent the morn. The strong hills shook ; the waves 
Sank lulled ; all flowers that blow by day came forth 
As 'twere high noon ; down to the farthest hells 
Passed the Queen's joy, as when warm sunshine thrills 
AVood-glooms to gold, and into all the deeps 
A tender whisper pierced.^^ " Oh ye," it said, 
" The dead that are to live, the live who die. 
Uprise, and hear, and hope ! Buddha is come ! " 
Whereat in Limbos numberless much peace 
Spread, and the world's heart throbbed, and a wind ble\V 
With unknown freshness over lands and seas. 
And when the morning dawned, and this was told, 
The gray dream-readers^^ said " The dream is good ! 
The Crab is in conjunction with the Sun ;" 



r-rm- -' I f n"i i a-'-'^rH ' r rra— »mv^in ii ' i r-a W rn mr mriM ir iiM T 




BOOK THE FIRST. II 

The Queen shall bear a boy, a holy child 
Of wondrous wisdom, profiting all flesh, 
Who shall deliver men from ignorance, 
Or rule the world, if he will deign to rule." 

In this wise was the holy Buddha born. 

Queen Maya stood at noon, her days fulfilled, 

Under a Palsa'^ in the Palace-grounds, 

A stately trunk, straight as a temple-shaft. 

With crown of glossy leaves and fragrant blooms : 

And, knowing the time come — for all things knew — 

The conscious tree bent down its boughs to make 

A bower about Queen Maya's majesty, 

And Earth put forth a thousand sudden flowers 

To spread a couch, while, ready for the bath, 

The rock hard by gave out a limpid stream 

Of crystal flow. So brought she forth her child 

Pangless — he having on his perfect form 

The marks, thirty and two, of blessed birth ; 

Of which the great news to the Palace came. 

But when they brought the painted palanquin^® 

To fetch him home, the bearers of the poles 

Were the four Regents of the Earth, come down 

From Mount Sumeru" — they who write men's deeds 

On brazen plates — the Angel of the East, 

Whose hosts are clad in silver robes, and bear 

Targets of pearl : the Angel of the South, 

Whose horsemen, the Kumbhandas,^^ ride blue steeds, 

With sapphire shields : the Angel of the West, 

By Nagas followed, riding steeds blood-red, 



K^mmtaU'ifwm 



12 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

With coral shields : the Angel of the North, 
Environed by his Yakshas/® all in gold, 
On yellow horses, bearing shields of gold. 
These, with their pomp invisible, came down 
And took the poles, in caste and outward garb 
Like bearers, yet most mighty gods ; and gods 
Walked free with men that day, though men knew not i 
For Heaven was filled with gladness for Earth's sake,*^® 
Knowing Lord Buddha thus was come again. 

But King Suddhodana wist not of this ; 

The portents troubled, till his dream-readers 

Augured a Prince of earthly dominance, 

A Chakravartin,^^ such as rise to rule 

Once in each thousand years ; seven gifts he has — 

The Chakra-ratna,^"^ disc divine ; the gem ; 

The horse, the Aswa-ratna,^^ that proud steed 

Which tramps the clouds ; a snow-white elephant, 

The Hasti-ratna,^"* born to bear his King ; 

The crafty Minister, the General 

Unconquered, and the wife of peerless grace. 

The Istrt-ratna,^^ lovelier than the Dawn. 

Eor which gifts looking with this wondrous boy. 

The King gave order that his town should keep 

High festival ; therefore the ways were swept,^^ 

Rose-odors sprinkled in the street, the trees 

Were hung with lamps and flags," while merry crowds 

Gaped on the sword-players^^ and posturers, 

The jugglers,^® charmers, swingers, rope-walkers. 

The nautch-girls in their spangled skirts and bclls^ 



BOOK THE FIRST. 1 3 

That chime light .laughter round their restless feet ; 

The masquers wrapped in skins of bear and deer. 

The tiger-tamers, wrestlers, quail-fighters, 

Beaters of drum and twanglers of the wire, 

Who made the people happy^ by command. 

Moreover from afar came merchant-men, 

Bringing, on tidings of this birth, rich gifts 

In golden trays ;^* goat-shawls,^'^ and nard^^ and jade, 

Turkises,^ " evening sky " tint, woven webs — 

So fine twelve folds hide not a modest face — 

Waist-cloths sewn thick with pearls, and sandal-wood ; 

Homage from tribute cities ; so they called 

Their Prince Savarthasiddh, " All-Prospering,'* 

Briefer, Siddartha. 

'Mongst the strangers came 
A gray-haired saint, Asita,^^ one whose ears, 
Long closed to earthly things, caught heavenly sounds, 
And heard at prayer beneath his peepul-tree 
The Devas singing songs at Buddha's birth. 
Wondrous in lore he was by age and fasts ; 
Him, drawing nigh, seeming so reverend, 
The King saluted, and Queen Maya made 
To lay her babe before such holy feet ; 
But when he saw the Prince the old man cried 
" Ah, Queen, not so ! " and thereupon he touched 
Eight times the dust,^^ laid his waste visage there, 
Saying, *' O Babe ! I worship ! Thou art He ! 
I see the rosy light,^^ the foot-sole marks,^ 
The soft-curled tendril of the Swastika,^^ 
The sacred primal signs thirty and two, 
The eighty lesser tokens.'"' Thou art Buddh, 







I 14 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

I And thou wilt preach the Law and save all flesh 
5 Who learn the Law, though I shall never hear, 
5 Dying too soon, who lately longed to die ; 
I Howbeit I have seen Thee. Know, O King ! 
? This is that Blossom on our human tree 

[Which opens once in many myriad years'*^ — 
But opened, fills the world with Wisdom's scent 
I And Love's dropped honey ; from thy royal root 
i A Heavenly Lotus springs : Ah, happy House ! 
i Yet not all-happy, for a sword must pierce 
[ Thy bowels for this boy ^^ — whilst thou, sweet Queen ! 
I Dear to all gods and men for this great birth. 
Henceforth art grown too sacred for more woe, 
And life is woe, therefore in seven days 
Painless thou shalt attain the close of pain." ^^ 

Which fell : for on the seventh evening 
Queen Maya smiling slept, and waked no more, 
Passing content to Trayastrinshas-Heaven,'*'* 
I Where countless Devas worship her and wait 
I Attendant on that radiant Motherhead. 
I But for the Babe they found a foster-nurse, 
! Princess Mahaprajapati ^'^ — her breast 
t Nourished with noble milk the lips of Him 
I Whose lips comfort the Worlds. 
I When th' eighth year passed^ 

I The careful King bethought to teach his son 
I All that a Prince should learn, for still he shunned 
I Tiie too vast presage of those miracles, 
I The glories and the sufferings of a Buddh. 
? So, in full council of his Ministers, 



,|-.,r«c«™«^— «. 



BOOK THE FIRST. 



^5 



" Who is the wisest man, great sirs," he asked, 

" To teach my Prince that which a Prince sl^ould know ? " 

Whereto gave answer each with instant voice 

" King ! Viswamitra^'' is the wisest one, 

The farthest-seen in Scriptures, and the best 

In learning, and the manual arti, and all." 

Thus Viswamitra came and heard commands ; 

And, on a day found fortunate, the Prince 

Took up his slate of ox-red sandal-wood, 

All-beautified by gems around the rim. 

And sprinkled smooth with dust of emery. 

These took he, and his writing-stick, and stood 

With eyes bent down before the Sage, who said, 

"Child, write this Scripture," speaking slow the verse 

" Gdyatri'' ^^ named, which only High-born hear: — 

Om, iatsaviturvarenyani 

Bhaj'go devasya dhi7tiaJii 

Dhiyo yo na prachodaydt. 
" Acharya,**^ I write," meekly replied 
The Prince, and quickly on the dust he drew — 
Not in one script, but many characters — 
The sacred verse ; Nagri"'' and Dakshin,^^ Ni/'^ 
MangaV' Parusha,^ Yava,'' Tirthi,'' Uk,''' 
Darad,'' Sikhyani,'' Mana,'" Madhyachar," 
The pictured writings and the speech of signs. 
Tokens of cave-men and the sea-peoples. 
Of those who worship snakes beneath the earth, 
And those who flame adore and the sun's orb,^^ 
The Magians and the dwellers on the mounds ; 
Of all the nations all strange scripts he traced 
One after other with his writing-stick, 



l6 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Reading the master's verse in every tongue ; 

And Viswamitra said, " It is enough, 

Let us to numbers. 

After me repeat 

Your numeration till we reach the Lakh.^'^ 

One, two, three, four, to ten, and then by tens 

To hundreds, thousands." After him the child 

Named digits, decads, centuries ; nor paused, 

The round lakh reached, but softly murmured on 

*' Then comes the koti, nahut, ninnahut, 

Khamba, viskhamba, abab, attata, 

To kumuds, gundhikas, and utpalas, 

By pundarikas unto padumas, 

Which last is how you count the utmost grains 

Of Hastagiri ground to finest dust ; 

But beyond that a numeration is. 

The Katha, used to count the stars of night ; 

The Koti-Kdtha, for the ocean drops ; 

Ingga, the caculus of circulars ; 
Sarvanikchepa, by the which you deal 

With all the sands of Gunga, till we come 

To Antah-Kalpas,^ where the unit is 

The sands of ten crore^^ Gungas. If one seeks 

More comprehensive scale, th' arithmic mounts 

By the Asankya, which is the tale 

Of all the drops that in ten thousand years 

Would fall on all the worlds by daily rain ; 

Thence unto Maha Kalpas, by the which 

The Gods compute their future and their past." 

" *Tis good," the Sage rejoined, '' Most noble Prince, 
If these thou know'st, needs it that I should teach 



BOOK THE FIRST. Ij 

The mensuration of the lineal ? " 
Humbly the boy replied, " Acharya ! " 
" Be pleased to hear me. Paraaianus^® ten 
A parasukshma®' make ; ten of those build 
The trasarene,^^ and seven trasarenes 
One mote's-length floating in the beam, seven motes 
The whisker-point of mouse, and ten of these 
One likhya f likhyas ten a yuka, ten 
Yukas'^ a heart of barley, which is held 
Seven times a wasp-waist ; so unto the grain 
Of mung^^ and mustard and the barley-corn, 
Whereof ten give the finger-joint, twelve joints 
The span, wherefrom we reach the cubit, staff, 
Bow-length, lance-length ; while twenty lengths of lance 
Mete what is named a 'breath,"^ which is to say 
Suck space as man may stride with lungs once filled, 
Whereof a gow'^ is forty, four times that 
A yojana ;'"* and. Master ! if it please, 
I shall recite how many sun-motes lie 
From end to end within a yojana." 
Thereat, with instant skill, the little Prince 
Pronounced the total of the atoms true. 
[But Viswamitra heard it on his face 
[Prostrate before the boy ; " For thou," he cried, 
'' Art Teacher of thy teachers — thou, not I, 
Art Giiru." Oh, I worship thee, sweet Prince ! 
That comest to my school only to show 
Thou knowest all without the books, and know'st 
Fair reverence besides." 

Which reverence 
Lord Buddha kept to all his schoolmasters, 



1 8 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Albeit beyond their learning taught ; in speech 

Right gentle, yet so wise ; princely of mien, 

Yet softly-mannered ; modest, deferent, 

And tender-hearted, though of fearless blood ; 

No l)older horseman in the youthful band 

E'er rode in gay chase of the shy gazelles ; 

No keener driver of the chariot 

In mimic contest scoured the Palace-courts ; 

Yet in mid-play the boy would ofttimes pause, 

Letting the deer pass free ; would ofttimes yield 

His half- won race because the laboring steeds 

Fetched painful breath ; or if his princely mates 

Saddened to lose, or if some wistful dream 

Swept o'er his thoughts. And ever with the years 

Waxed this compassionateness of our Lord, 

Even as a great tree grows, from two soft leaves 

To spread its shade afar ; but hardly yet 

Knew the young child of sorrow, pain, or tears, 

Save as strange names for things not felt by kings, 

Nor ever to be felt. But it befell 

In the Royal garden on a day of spring, 

A flock of wild swans passed, voyaging north 

To their nest-places on Himala's breast. 

Calling in love-notes down their snowy line 

The bright birds flew, by fond love piloted ; 

And Devadatta," cousin of the Prince, 

Pointed his bow, and loosed a willful shaft 

Which found the wide wing of the foremost swan 

Broad-spread to glide upon the free blue road, 

So that it fell, the bitter arrow fixed. 

Bright scarlet blood-gouts staining the pure plumei 




BOOK THE FIRST. I9 

Which seeing, Prince Siddartha took the bird 
Tenderly up, rested it in his lap — 
Sitting with knees crossed, as Lord Buddha sits — 
And, soothing with a touch the wild thing's fright, 
Composed its ruffled vans, calmed its quick <lieart, 
Caressed it into peace with light kind palms 
As soft as plantain-leaves an hour unrolled ; 
And while the left hand held, the right hand drew 
The cruel steel forth from the wound and laid 
Cool leaves and healing honey on the smart. 
Yet all so little knew the boy of pain 
That curiously into his wrist he pressed 
The arrow's barb, and winced to feel it sting, 
And turned with tears to soothe his bird again. 

Then some one came who said, " My Prince hath shot 
A swan, which fell among the roses here. 
He bids me pray you send it. Will you send ? * 
*^ Nay," quoth Siddartha, " if the bird were dead 
To send it to the slayer might be well, 
But the swan lives ; my cousin hath but killed 
The god-like speed which throl)bed in this white wing." 
And Devadatta answered, "The wild thing, 
Living or dead, is his who fetched it down ; 
'Twas no man's in the clouds, but fall'n 'tis mine, 
Give me my prize, fair Cousin." Then our Lord 
Laid the swan's neck beside his own smooth cheek 
And gravely spake, " Say no ! the bird is mine, 
The first of myriad things which shall be mine 
By right of mercy and love's lordliness. 
For now I know, by what within me stirs. 
That I shall teach compassion unto men 



t 



20 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And be a speechless world's interpreter, 

Abating this accursed flood of woe, 

Not man's alone ; but, if the Prince disputes, 

Let him submit this matter to the wise 

And we will wait their word." So was it done ; 

In full divan " the business had debate, 

And many thought this thing and many that, 

Till there arose an unknown priest who r;aid, 

"If life be aught, the savior of a life 

Owns more the living thing than he can own 

Who sought to slay — the slayer spoils and wastes. 

The cherisher sustains, give him the bird : " 

Which judgment all found just ; but when the King 

Sought out the sage for honor, he was gone ; 

And some one saw a hooded snake ''^ glide forth, — 

The gods come ofttimes thus ! So our Lord Buddh 

Began his works of mercy. 

Yet not more 
Knew he as yet of grief than that one bird's, 
Which, being healed, went joyous to its kind. 
But on another day the King said, "Come, 
Sweet son ! and see the pleasaunce of the spring. 
And how the fruitful earth is wooed to yield 
Its riches to the reaper ; how my realm — 
Which shall be thine when the pile flames for me'^ — 
Feeds all its mouths and keeps the King s chest filled. 
Fair is the season with new leaves, bright blooms, 
Green grass, and cries of plough-time." So they rode 
Into a land of wells and gardens, where, 
All up and down the lich red loam, the steers 
Strained their strong shoulders in the cloaking yoke 



BOOK THE FIRST. 2S 

Dragging the ploughs ; the fat soil rose and rolled 

In smooth dark waves back from the plough ; who drove 

Planted both feet upon the leaping share 

To make the furrow deep ; among the palms 

The tinkle of the rippling water rang, 

And where it ran the glad earth 'broidered it ' 

With balsams and the spears of lemon-grass. 

Elsewhere were sowers who went forth to sow ; 

And all the jungle laughed with nesting-songs, 

And all the thickets rustled with small life 

Of lizard, bee, beetle, and creeping things 

Pleased at the spring-time. In the mango-sprays^ 

The sun-birJs^^ flashed ; alone at his green forge 

Toiled the loud coppersmith ; bee-eaters hawked 

Chasing the purple butterflies ; beneath, 

Striped squirrels raced, the mynas^^ perked and picked 

The nine brown sisters chattered in the thorn, 

The pied fish-tiger hung above the pool, 

The egrets®^ stalked among the buffaloes, 

The kites sailed circles in the golden air ; 

About the painted temple peacocks flew,^ 

The blue doves cooed from every well, far off^ 

The village drums^^ beat for some marriage-feast ; 

All things spoke peace and plenty, and the Prince 

Saw and rejoiced. But, looking deep, he saw 

The thorns which grow upon this rose of life : 

How the swart peasant sweated for his wage, 

Toiling for leave to live ; and how he urged 

The great-eyed oxen through the flaming hours, 

Goading their velvet flanks : then marked he, too, 

How lizard fed on ant, and snake on him, 



22 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And kite on both ; and how the fish-hawk robbed 

The fish-tiger of that which it had seized ; 

The shrike chasing the bulbul,®^ which did chase ' 

The jeweled butterflies ; till everywhere 

Each slew a slayer and in turn was slain, 

Life living upon death. So the fair show 

Veiled one vast, savage, grim conspiracy 

Of mutual murder, from the worm to man, 

Who himself kills his fellow ; seeing which — 

The hungry ploughman and his laboring kine. 

Their dewlaps blistered with the bitter yoke, 

The rage to live which makes all living strife — 

The Prince Siddartha sighed. " Is this," he said, 

"That happy earth they brought me forth to see? 

How salt with sweat the peasant's bread ! how liard 

The oxen's service ! in the brake how fierce 

The war of weak and strong ! i' th' air what plots ! 

No refuge e'en in water. Go aside 

A space, and let me muse on what ye show." 

So saying, the good Lord Buddha seated him 

Under a jambu-tree,®^ with ankles crossed — 

A.S holy statues sit — and first began 

To meditate this deep disease of life, 

What its far source and whence its remedy. 

So vast a pity filled him, such wide love 

For living things, such passion to heal pain, 

That by their stress his princely spirit passed 

To ecstasy, and, purged from mortal taint 

Of sense and self, the boy attained thereat 

Dhydna,®^ first step of "the path." 

There flew 



BOOK THE FIRST, 23 

High overhead that hour five holy ones, 
Whose free wings falteied as they passed the tree. 
j "What power superior draws us from our flight? ** 
They asked, for spirits feel all force divine, 
And know the sacred presence of the pure. 
Then, looking downward, they beheld the Buddh 
Crowned with a rose-hued aureole, intent 
On thoughts to save ; while from the grove a voice 
Cried, " Rishis l"' this is He shall help the world. 
Descend and worship." So the Bright Ones came 
And sang a song of praise, folding their wings. 
Then journeyed on, taking good news to Gods. 

But certain from the King seeking the Prince 
Found him still musing, though the noon was past. 
And the sun hastened to the western hills : 
Yet, while all shadows moved, the jambu-tree's 
Stayed in one quarter, overspreading him, 
Lest the sloped rays should strike that sacred head ; 
And he who saw this sight heard a voice say, 
Amid the blossoms of the rose-apple, 
" Let be the King's son ! till the shadow goes 
Forth from his heart my shadow will not shift/* 



" 



Book t\)c Seconb. 



Now, when our Lord was come to eighteen years, 
The King commanded that there should be built 
Three stately houses, one of hewn square beams 
With cedar lining, warm for winter days ; 
One of veined marbles, cool for summer heat ; 
And one of burned bricks, with blue tiles bedecked. 
Pleasant at seed-time, when the champaks^ bud — 
Subha,^ Suramma,^ Ramma,^ were their names. 
Delicious gardens round about them bloomed, 
Streams wandered wild and musky thickets stretched. 
With many a bright pavilion and fair lawn 
In midst of which Siddartha strayed at will, 
Some new delight provided every hour ; 
And happy hours he knew, for life was rich. 
With youthful blood at quickest ; yet still came 
The shadows of his meditation back. 
As the lake's silver dulls with driving clouds. 

Which the King marking, called his Ministers : 
" Bethink ye, sirs ! how the old Rishi spake," 
He said, " and what my dream-readers foretold. 
This boy, more dear to me than mine heart's blood, 

24 



BOOK THE SECOND. 2$ 

Shall be of universal dominance, 

Trampling the neck of all his enemies, 

A King of kings — and this is in my heart ; — 

Or he shall tread the sad and lowly path 

Of self-denial and of pious pains, ^, 

Gaining who knows what good, when all is lost 

Worth keeping ; and to this his wistful eyes 

Do still incline amid my palaces. 

But ye are sage, and ye will counsel me ; 

How may his feet be turned to that proud road 

Where they should walk, and all fair signs come true 

Which gave him Earth to rule, if he would rule?" 

The eldest answered, " Maharaja ! ^ love 
Will cure these thin distempers ; weave the spell 
Of woman's wiles about his idle heart. 
What knows this noble boy of beauty yet, 
Eyes that make heaven forgot, and lips of balm ? 
Find him soft wives and pretty playfellows ; 
The thoughts ye cannot stay with brazen chains 
A girl's hair lightly binds." 

And all thought good, 
But the King answered, " If we seek him wives. 
Love chooseth ofttimes with another eye ; 
And if we bid range Beauty's garden round, 
To pluck what blossom pleases, he will smile 
And sweetly shun the joy he knows not of." 
Then said another, "Roams the barasingh^ 
Until the fated arrow flies ; for him, 
As for less lordly spirits, some one charms. 
Some face will seem a Paradise, some form 
Fairer than pale Dawn when she wakes the world. 



mmaHmammt 



26 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

This do, my King ! Command a festival 
Where the realm's maids shall be competitors 
In youth and grace/ and sports that Sakyas use. 
Let the Prince give the prizes to the fair, 
And, when the lovely victors pass his seat, 
There shall be those who mark if one or two 
Change the fixed sadness of his tender cheek ; 
So we may choose for Love with Love's own eyes, 
And cheat his Highness into happiness." 
This thing seemed good ; wherefore upon a day 
The criers bade the young and beautiful 
Pass to the palace, for 'twas in command 
To hold a court of pleasure, and the Prince 
Would give the prizes, something rich for all, 
The richest for the fairest judged. So flocked 
Kapilavastu's^ maidens to the gate, 
Eacli with her dark hair newly smoothed and bound, 
Eyelashes lustred with the soorma-stick,^ 
Fresh-bathed and scented ; all in shawls and cloths 
Of gayest ; slender hands and feet new-stained 
With crimson,'" and the tilka-spots" stamped bright. 
Fair show it was of all those Indian girls 
Slow-pacing past the throne with large black eyes 
Fixed on the ground, for when they saw the Prince 
More than the awe of Majesty made beat 
Their fluttering hearts, he sate so passionless. 
Gentle, but so beyond them. Each maid took 
With down-dropped lids her gift, afraid to gaze ; 
And if the people hailed some lovelier one 
Beyond her rivals worthy royal smiles, 
She stood like a scared antelope to touch 



-4 



BOOK THE SECOND. 

The gracious hand, then fled to join her mates 
Trembling at favor, so divine he seemed, 
So high and saint-Hke and above her world. 
Thus filed they, one bright maid after another, 
The city's flowers, and all this beauteous marc^ 
Was ending and the prizes spent, when last 
Came young Yasodhara,*'^ and they that stood 
Nearest Siddartha saw the princely. boy 
Start, as the radiant girl approached. A form 
Of heavenly mold ; a gait like Parvati's ;" 
Eyes like a hind's in love-time, face so fair 
Words cannot paint its spell ; and she alone 
Gazed full — folding her palms across her breasts— 
On the boy's gaze, her stately neck unbent. 
" Is there a gift for me ?" she asked, and smiled. 
" The gifts are gone," the Prince replied, " yet take 
This for amends, dear sister, of whose grace 
Our happy city boasts ; " therewith he loosed 
The emerald necklet from his throat, and clasped 
Its green beads round her dark and silk-soft waist ; 
And their eyes mixed, and from the look sprang love. 

Long after — when enlightenment was full — 
Lord Buddha — being prayed why thus his heart 
Took fire at first glance of the Sakya girl. 
Answered, " We were not strangers, as to us 
And all it seemed ; in ages long gone by 
A hunter's son, playing with forest girls 
By Yamun's^^ springs, where Nandadevi'^ stands, 
Sate umpire while they raced beneath the firs 
Like hares at eve that run their playful rings ; 



1 



28 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

One with flower-stars crowned he, one with long pkimes 
Plucked from eyed pheasant and the jungle-cock, 
One with fir-apples ; but who ran the last 
Came first for him, and unto her the boy- 
Gave a tame fawn and his heart's love beside. 
And in the wood they lived many glad years, 
And in the wood they undivided died. 
T.o ! as hid seed shoots after rainless years, 
So good and evil, pains and pleasures, hates 
And loves, and all dead deeds, come forth again 
Bearing bright leaves or dark, sweet fruit or sour. 
Thus I was he and she Yasodhara ; 
And while the wheel of birth and death turns round, 
That which hath been must be between us two." 

But they who watched the Prince at prize-giving 
Saw and heard all, and told the careful King 
How sate Siddartha heedless, till there passed 
Great Suprabuddha's child, Yasodhara ; 
And how — at sudden sight of her — he changed, 
And how she gazed on him and be on her, 
And of the jewel-gift, and what beside 
Passed in their speaking glance. 

I The fond King smiled 

" Look ! we have found a lure ; take counsel now 
To fetch therewith our falcon from the clouds. 
Let messengers be sent to ask the maid 
In marriage for my son." But it was law 
With Sakyas. when any asked a maid 
Of noble house, fair and desirable. 
He must make good his skill in martial arts 



BOOK THE SECOND. 29 

Against all suitors who should challenge it ; 

Nor might this custom break itself for kings. 

Therefore her father spake : " Say to the King, 

The child is sought by princes far and near ; 

If thy most gentle son can bend the bow, 

Sway sword, and back a horse better than they, 

Best would he be in all and best to us : 

But how shall this be, witli his cloistered ways ? " 

Then the King's heart was sore, for now the Prince 

Begged sweet Yasodhara for wife — in vain, 

With Devadatta foremost at the bow, 

Ardjuna^^ master of all fiery steeds. 

And Nanda" chief in sword-play ; but the Prince 

Laughed low and said, " These things, too, I have learned ; 

Make proclamation that thy son will meet 

All comers at their chosen games. I think 

I shall not lose my love for such as these." 

So 'twas given forth that on the seventh day 

The Prince Siddartha summoned whoso would 

To match with him in feats of manliness, 

The victor's crown to be Yasodhara. 

Therefore, upon the seventh day, there went 
The Sakya lords and town and country round 
Unto the maidan ;^^ and the maid went too 
Amid her kinsfolk, carried as a bride, 
With music, ^^ and with litters gayly dight, 
And gold-horned oxen, flower-caparisoned.^" 
Whom Devadatta claimed, of royal line, 
And Nanda and Ardjuna, noble botli, 
The flower of all youths there, till the Prince came 



3O THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Riding his white horse Kantaka, which neighed^ 

Astonished at this great strange world without : 

Also Siddartha gazed with wondering eyes 

On all those people born beneath the throne, 

Otherwise housed than kings, otherwise fed, 

And yet so like — perchance — in joys and griefs. 

But when the Prince saw sweet Yasodhara, 

Brightly he smiled, and drew his silken rein. 

Leaped to the earth from Kantaka's broad back, 

And cried, " He is not wortliy of this pearl 

Who is not worthiest ; let my rivals prove 

If I have dared too much in seeking her." 

Then Nanda challenged for the arrow-test 

And set a brazen drum six gows away, 

Ardjuna six and Devadatta eight ; 

But Prince Siddartha bade them set his drum 

Ten gows^^ from off the line, until it seemed 

A cowry-shelP for target. Then they loosed. 

And Nanda pierced his drum, Ardjuna his, 

And Devadatta drove a well-aimed shaft 

Through both sides of his mark, so that the crowd 

Marveled and cried ; and sweet Yasodhara 

Dropped the gold sari^^ o'er her fearful eyes, 

Lest she should see her Prince's arrow fail. 

But he, taking their bow of lacquered cane. 

With sinews bound, and strong with silver wire, 

Which none but stalwart arms could draw a span. 

Thrummed it — low laughing — drew the twisted string 

Till the horns kissed, and the thick belly snapped : 

" That is for play, not love," he said ; *' hath none 

A bow more fit for Sakya lords to use ? " 



BOOK THE SECOND. 3 1 

And one said, " There is Sinhahanu's bow,'^ 

Kept in the temple since we know not when, 

Which none can string, nor draw if it be strung." 

" Fetch me," he cried, " that weapon of a man ! " 

They brought the ancient bow, wrought of black steel 

Laid with gold tendrils on its branching curves 

I. ike bison-horns ; and twice Siddartha tried 

Its strength across his knee, then spake — " Shoot now 

With this, my cousins ! " but they could not bring 

The stubborn arms a hand's-breadth nigher use ; 

Then the Prince, lightly leaning, bent the bow,*^ 

Slipped home the eye upon the notch, and twanged 

Sharply the cord, which, like an eagle's wing 

Thrilling the air, sang forth so clear and loud 

That feeble folk rt home that day inquired 

" What is this sound ? " and people answered them, 

" It is the sound of Sinhahanu's bow. 

Which the King's son has strung and goes to shoot ; " 

Then fitting fair a shaft, he drew and loosed. 

And the keen arrow clove the sky, and drave 

Right through that farthest drum, nor stayed its flight. 

But skimmed the plain beyond, past reach oi. eye. 

Then Devadatta challen.^ed with the sword, 
And clove a Talas-tree^*^ six fingers thick ;^ 
Ardjuna seven ; and Nanda cut through nine i 
But two such stems together grew, and both 
Siddartha's blade shred at one flashing stroke, 
Keen, but so smooth that the straight trunks upstood, 
And Nanda cried, " His edge turned ! " and the maid 
Trembled anew seeing the trees erect, 



32 



THE LIGHT OF ASIA, 



Until the Devas of the air, v/ho watched, 

Blew light breaths from the south, and both green crowns 

Crashed in the sand, clean-felled. 

Then brought they steeds, 
High-mettled, nobly- bred, and three times scoured 
Around the maidan, but white Kantaka 
I,eft even the fleetest far behind — so swift, 
That ere the foam fell from hiis mouth to earth 
Twenty spear-lengths he flew ; but Nanda saici, 
"We too mip;ht win with such as Kantaka ; 
Bring an unbroken horse, and let men see 
Who best can back him." So the syces"^ brought 
A stallion dark as night, led by three chains, 
Fierce eyed, with nostrils wide and tossing mane. 
Unshod, unsaddled, for no rider yet 
Had crossed him. Three times each young Sdkya 
Sprang to his mighty back, but the hot steed 
Furiously reared, and flung them to the plain 
In dust and shame ; only Ardjuna held 
His seat awhile, and, bidding loose the chains, 
Lashed the black flank, and shook the bit, and held 
The proud jaws fast with grasp of master-hand, 
So that in storms of wrath and rage and fear 
The savage stallion circled once the plain 
Half-tamed ; but sudden turned with naked teeth. 
Gripped by the foot Ardjuna, tore him down, 
And would have slain him, but the grooms ran in 
Fettering the maddened beast. Then all men cried, 
" Let not Siddartha meddle with this Bhut,"* 
Whose liver is a tempest, and his blood 
Red flame ; " but the Prince said. '' Let gro the chains, 



T 



BOOK THE SECOND. 33 

Give me his forelock only," which he held 
With quiet grasp, and, speaking some low wprd, 
Laid his right palm across the stallion's eyes, 
And drew it gently down the angry face, 
And all along the neck and panting flanks, 
Till men astonished saw the night-black horse 
Sink his fierce crest and stand subdued and meek, 
As though he knew our Lord and worshiped him. 
Nor stirred he while Siddartha mounted, then 
Went soberly to touch of knee and rein 
Before all eyes, so that the people said, 
" Strive no more, for Siddartha is the best." 

And all the suitors answered " He is best ! " 
And Suprabuddha, father of the maid, 
Said, " It was in our hearts to find thee best. 
Being dearest, yet what magic taught thee more 
Of manhood 'mid thy rose-bowers and thy dreams 
Than war and chase and world's work bring to these r 
But wear, fair Prince, the treasure thou hast won." 
Then at a word the lovely Indian girl 
Rose from her place above the throng, and took 
A crown of mogra-flowers^ and lightly drew 
The veil of black and gold across her brow. 
Proud pacing past the youths, until she came 
To where Siddartha stood in grace divine. 
New lighted from the night-dark steed, which bent 
Its strong neck meekly underneath his arm. 
Before the Prince lowly she bowed, and bared 
Her face celestial beaming with glad love ; 
Then on his neck she hung the fragrant wreath, 
9 



34 I'HE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And on his breast she laid her perfect head, 
And stooped to touch his feet with proud glad eyes, 
Saying, " Dear Prince, behold me, who am thine ! " 
And all the throng rejoiced, seeing them pass 
Hand fast in hand, and heart beating with heart, 
The veil of black and gold drawn close again. 

Long after — when enlightenment was come^ — 
They prayed Lord Buddha touching all, and why 
She wore this black and gold, and stepped so proud. 
And the World-honored answered, '' Unto me 
This was unknown, albeit it seemed half known ; 
For while the wheel of birth and death turns round, 
Past things and thoughts, and buried lives come back 
I now remember, myriad rains ago, 
What time I roamed Himala's hanging woods, 
A tiger, with my striped and hungry kind ; 
I, who am Buddh, couched in the kusa grass^* 
Gazing with green blinked eyes upon the herds 
Which pastured near and nearer to their death 
Round my day-lair ; or underneath the stars 
I roamed for prey, savage, insatiable, 
Snififing the paths for track of man and deer. 
Amid the beasts that were my fellows then, 
Met in deep jungle or by reedy jheel,^^ 
A tigress, comeliest of the forest, set 
The males at war ; her hide was lit with gold, 
Black-broidered like the veil Yasodhara 
Wore for me ; hot the strife waxed in that wood 
With tooth and claw, while underneath a neem^^ 
The fair beast watched us bleed, thus fiercely wooed. 



BOOK THE SECOND. jtf 

And I remember, at the end she came 

Snarling past tliis and that torn forest-lord ; 

Which I had conquered, and with fawning jaws 

Licked my quick-heaving flank, and with me went 

Into the wild with proud steys, amorously. 

The wheel of birth and death turns low and high.** 

Therefore the maid was given unto the Prince 
A wilhng spoil ; and when the stars were good — 
Mesha,^ the Red Ram, being Lord of heaven — 
The marriage feast was kept, as Sakyas use, 
The golden gadi^^ set, the carpet spread, 
The wedding garlands hung, the arm-threads tied,^ 
The sweet cake broke, the rice and attar thrown,^^ 
The two straws floated on the reddened milk, 
Which, coming close, betokened " love till death ; ** 
The seven steps taken thrice around the fire, 
The gifts bestowed on holy men, the alms 
And temple offerings made, the mantras^^ sung, 
The garments of the bride and bridegroom tied. 
Then the gray father spake : " Worshipful Prince, 
She that was ours henceforth is only thine ; 
Be good to her, who hath her life in thee." 
Wherewith they brought home sweet Yasodhara, 
With songs and trumpets, to the Prince's arms, 
And love was ail in all. 

Yet not to love 
Alone trusted the King ; love's prison-house 
Stately and beautiful he bade them build, 
So that in all the earth no marvel was 
Like Vishramvan, the Prince's pleasure-place. 



36 THE LIGHT OP ASIA. 

Midway in those wide palace-grounds there rose 
A verdant hill whose base Rohini^^ bathed, 
Murmuring adown from Kimalay's broad feet, 
To bear its tribute into Gunga's^*^ waves. 
Southward a growth of tamarind trees and sal/* 
Thick set with pale sky-colored ganthi flowers/' 
Shut out the world, save if the city's hum 
Came on the wind no harsher than when bees 
Hum out of sight in thickets. Northwards soared 
The stainless ramps of huge Himala's wall,''^ 
Ranged in white ranks against the blue — untrod, 
Infinite, wonderful — whose uplands vast, 
And lifted universe of crest and crag, 
Shoulder and shelf, green slope and icy horn, 
Riven ravine, and splintered precipice 
Led climbing thought higher and higher, until 
It seemed to stand in heaven and speak with gods. 
Beneath the snows dark forests spread, sharp laced 
With leaping cataracts and veiled with clouds : 
Lower grew rose-oaks and the great fir groves 
Where echoed pheasant's call and panther's cry, 
Clatter of wild sheep on the stones, and scream 
Of circling eagles : under these the plain 
Gleamed like a praying-carpet at the foot 
Of those divinest altars. Fronting this 
The builders set the bright pavilion up. 
Fair-planted on the terraced hill, with towers 
On either flank and pillared cloisters round. 
Its beams were carved with stories of old time^^r" 
Radha and Krishna and the sylvan girls — *^ 
Sita** and Hanuman and Draupadi f^ 



BOOK THE SECOND. 37 

And on the middle porch God Ganesha, 

With disc and hook — to brinff wisdom and wealth — 

... I 

Propitious sate, wreathing his sidelong trunk.**^ 

By winding ways of garden and of court 

The inner gate was reached, of marble wrought, 

White with pink veins ; the lintel lazuli. 

The threshold alabaster, anH the doors 

Sandal-wood, cut in pictureri paneling ; 

Whereby to lofty halls and shadowy bowers 

Passed the delighted foot, on stately stairs, 

Through latticed galleries, 'neath painted roofs 

And clustering columns, where cool fountains — fringed 

With lotus and nelumbo^^ — danced, and fish 

Gleamed through their crystal, scarlet, gold, and blue. 

Great-eyed gazelles in sunny alcoves browsed 

The blown red roses ; birds of rainbow wing 

Fluttered among the palms ; doves, green and gray, 

Built their safe nests on gilded cornices ; 

Over the shining pavements peacocks drew 

The splendors of their trains, sedately watched 

By milk-white herons and the small house-owls. 

The plum-necked parrots swung from fruit to fruit ; 

The yellow sun-birds whirred from bloom to bloom. 

The timid lizards on the lattice basked 

Fearless, the squirrels ran to feed from hand. 

For all was peace : the shy black snake, that gives 

Fortune to households, sunned his sleepy coils 

Under the moon-flowers, where the musk-deer played, 

And brown-eyed monkeys chattered to the crows. 

And all this house of love was peopled fair 

With sweet attendance, so that in each part 



^8 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

With lovely sights were gentle faces found, 
Soft speech and willing service, each one glad 
To gladden, pleased at pleasure, proud to obey ; 
Till life glided beguiled, like a smooth stream 
Banked by perpetual flow'rs, Yasodhara 
Queen of the enchanting Court. 

But innermost, 
Beyond the richness of those hundred halls, 
A secret chamber lurked, where skill had spent 
All lovely fantasies to lull the mind. 
The entrance of it was a cloistered square — 
Roofed by the sky, and in the midst a tank — 
Of milky marble built, and laid with slabs 
Of milk-white marble ; bordered round the tank 
And on the steps, and all along the frieze 
With tender inlaid work of agate-stones. 
Cool as to tread in summer-time on snows 
It was to loiter there ; the sunbeams dropped 
Their gold, and, passing into porch and niche, 
Softened to shadows, silvery, pale, and dim. 
As if the very Day paused and grew Eve 
In love and silence at that bower's gate ; 
For there beyond the gate the chamber was, 
Beautiful, sweet ; a wonder of the world ! 
Soft light from perfumed lamps through windows fell 
Of nakre^^ and stained stars of lucent film 
On golden cloths outspread, and silken beds. 
And heavy splendor of the purdah's'^" fringe. 
Lifted to take only the loveliest in. 
Here, whether it was night or day none knew, 
For always streamed that softened light, more bright 



BOOK THE SECOND. 39 

Than sunrise, but as tender as the eve's ; 

And always breathed sweet airs, more joy-givinp 

Than morning's, but as cool as midnight's breath ; 

And night and day lutes sighed, and night and day 

Delicious foods were spread, and dewy fruits, 

Sherbets new chilled with snows of Himalay, 

And sweetmeats made of subtle daintiness, 

With sweet tree-milk in its own ivory cup. 

And night and day served there a chosen band 

Of nautch girls, cup-bearers, and cymbalers, 

Delicate, dark-browed ministers of love, 

Who fanned the sleeping eyes of the happy Prince, 

And when he waked, led back his thoughts to bliss 

With music whispering through the blooms, and charm 

Of amorous songs and dreamy dances, linked 

By chime of ankle-bells and wave of arms 

And silver vina-strings f^ while essences 

Of musk and champak and the blue haze spread 

From burning spice's soothed his soul again 

To drowse by sweet Yas5dhara ; and thus 

Siddartha lived forgetting. 

Furthermore, 
The King commanded that within those walls 
No mention should be made of death or age, 
Sorrow, or pain, or sickness. If one drooped 
In the lovely Court — her dark glance dim, her feeJ 
Faint in the dance — the guiltless criminal 
Passed forth an exile from that Paradise, 
Lest he should see and suffer at her woe. 
Bright-eyed intendants watched to execute 
Sentence on such as spake of the harsh world 



^O THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Without, wnere aches and plagues were, tears and fears, 

And wail of mourners, and grim fume of pyres. 

*Twas treason if a thread of silver strayed 

In tress of singing-girl or nautch-dancer ; 

And every dawn the dying rose was plucked, 

The dead leaves hid, all evil sights removed : 

For said the King, " If he shall pass his youth 

Far from such things as move to wistfulness, 

And brooding on the empty eggs of thought, 

The shadow of this fate, too vast for man, 

May fade, belike, and I shall see him grow 

To that great stature of fair sovereignty^' 

When he shall rule all lands — if he will rule— 

The King of kings and glory of his time.** 

Wherefore, around that pleasant prison-house — 
Where love was jailer and delights its bars. 
But far removed from sight — the King bade build 
A massive wall, and in the wall a gate 
With brazen folding-doors, which but to roll 
Back on their hinges asked a hundred arms ; 
Also the noise of that prodigious gate 
Opening, was heard full half a yojana. 
And inside this another gate he made. 
And yet within another — through the three 
Must one pass if he quit that Pleasure-house. 
Three mighty gates there were, bolted and barred, 
And over each was set a faithful watch ; 
And the King's order said, " Suffer no man 
To pass the gates, though he should be the Prince : 
This on your lives — even though it be my son." 



iB00ktl)e (5hir&. 



I 



In which calm home of happy life and love 
Ligged our Lord Buddha, knowing not of woe, 
Nor want, nor pain, nor plague, nor age, nor death, 
Save as when sleepers roam dim seas in dreams, 
And land awearied on the shores of day. 
Bringing strange merchandise from that black voyage. 
Thus ofttimes when he lay with gentle head 
Lulled on the dark breasts of Yasbdhara, 
Her fond hands fanning slow his sleeping lids. 
He would start up and cry, " My world ! Oh, world ! 
I hear ! I know ! I come ! " And she would ask, 
" What ails my Lord ? " with large eyes terror-struck ; 
For at such times the pity in his look 
Was awful, and his visage like a god's. 
Then would he smile again to stay her tears, 
And bid the vinas sound ; but once they set 
A stringed gourd on the sill, there where the wind 
Could linger o'er its notes and play at will — 
Wild music makes the wind on silver strings — 
And those who lay around heard only that ; 
But Prince Siddartha heard the Devas play, 
And to his ears they sang such words as these : — 

41 



42 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

I'P e are the voices of the wandei'ing wind^ 
Which moan for rest and rest caji never find s 
Lo ! as the wind is so is jnortal life, 
A moafi, a sigh, a sob, a storjii, a strife. 

Wherefore and wheitce we are ye cannot know, 
Nor where life springs nor whither life doth go ; 
We are as ye are, ghosts from the inane. 
What pleasure have we of our changef til pain 7 

What pleasure hast thou of thy changeless bliss f 
Nay, if love lasted, there were joy in this ; 
But life's way is the wind's way, all these things 
Are but brief voices breathed on shifting strings. 

O Maya's son ! because we roam the earth 
Moan we upon these strings ; we make no fnirth. 
So many woes we see in many lands. 
So many streaming eyes and wringing hands. 

Yet mock we while we wail, for, could they hiow^ 
This life they cling to is but empty show ; 
' Twere all as well to bid a cloud to standj 
Or hold a running river with the hand. 

But thou that art to save, thine hour is nigh ! 
The sad world waiteth tn its misery. 
The bliftd luorld stumbleth on its round of paifi ; 
Rise, Maya's child ! wake I slumber not again ! 

We are the voices of the wandering wind : 
Wander thou, too, O Prince, thy rest to find ; 



BOOK THE THIRD. .43 

Leave love for love of lovers, for woes sake 

Quit state for sorrow, and deliverance j?iake. ^ 

So sigh we, passing o'er the silver strings, 

To thee who know'st not yet of earthly things ; 

So say we ; mocking, as we pass away. 

These lovely shadows wherewith thou dost play. 

Thereafter it befell he sate at eve 
Amid his beauteous Court, holding the hand 
Of sweet Yasodhara, and some maid told — 
With breaks of music when her rich voice dropped — 
An ancient tale to speed the hour of dusk, 
Of love, and of a magic horse, and lands 
Wonderful, distant, where pale peoples dwelled, 
And where the sun at night sank into seas. 
Then spake he, sighing, " Chitra^ brings me back 
The wind's song in the strings with that fair tale. 
Give her, Yasodhara, thy pearl for thanks. 
But thou, my pearl ! is there so wide a world ? 
.Is there a land which sees the great sun roll 
Into the waves, and are there hearts like ours, 
Countless, unknown, not happy — it may be — 
Whom we might succor if we knew of them ? 
Ofttimes I marvel, as the Lord of day 
Treads from the east his kingly road of gold. 
Who first on the world's edge hath hailed his beam, 
The children of the morning ; oftentimes, 
Even in thine arms and on thy breasts, bright wife. 
Sore have I panted, at the sun's decline. 
To pass with him into that crimson west 



44 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And see the peoples of the evening. 

There must be many we should love — how else ? 

Now have I in this hour an ache, at last, 

Thy soft lips cannot kiss away : oh, girl ! 

O Chitra ! you that know of fairyland ! 

Where tether they that swift steed of the tale ? 

My palace for one day upon his back, 

To ride and ride and see the spread of the earth ! 

Nay, if I had yon callow vulture's plumes — 

The carrion heir of wider realms than mine — 

How would I stretch for topmost Himalay, 

Light where the rose-gleam lingers on those snows, 

And strain my gaze with searching what is round ! 

Why have I never seen and never sought ? 

Tell me what lies beyond our brazen gates." 

Then one replied, " The city first, fair Prince ! 
The temples, and the gardens, and the groves, 
And then the fields, and afterwards fresh fields, 
With nullahs,'^ maidans,^ jungle, koss on koss ;'* 
And next King Bimbsdra's realm, and then 
The vast flat world, with crores on crores^ of folk.** 
" Good," said Siddartha, " let the word be sent 
That Channa yoke my chariot — at noon 
To-morrow I shall ride and see beyond." 

Whereof they told the King : ** Our Lord, thy son, 
Wills that his chariot be yoked at noon, 
That he may ride abroad and see mankind." 

" Yea ! " spake the careful King, " 'tis time he see ! 



BOOK THE THIIxD. 45 

But let the criers go about and bid 

My city deck itself, so there be met 

No noisome sight ; and let none blind or maimed, 

None that is sick or stricken deep in years, 

No leper, and no feeble folk come forth." 

Therefore the stones were swept, and up and down 

The water-carriers sprinkled all the streets 

From spirting skins,^ the housewives scattered fresh 

Red powder on their thresholds, strung new wreaths, 

And trimmed the tulsi-bush' before their doors. 

The paintings on the walls were heightened up 

With liberal brush, the trees set thick with flags. 

The idols gilded ; in the four-went ways 

Suryadeva^ and the great gods shone 

'Mid shrines of leaves ; so that the city seemed 

A capital of some enchanted land. 

Also the criers passed, with drum and gong, 

Proclaiming loudly, " Ho ! all citizens. 

The King commands that there be seen to-day 

No evil sight : let no one blind or maimed. 

None that is sick or stricken deep in years, 

No leper, and no feeble folk go forth. 

Let none, too, burn his dead nor bring them out 

Till nightfall. Thus Suddhodana commands." 

So all was comely and the houses trim 
Throughout Kapilavastu, while the Prince 
Came forth in painted car, which two steers drew,' 
Snow-white, with swinging dewlaps and huge humps 
Wrinkled against the carved and lacquered yoke. 
Goodly it was to mark the people's joy 



46 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Greeting their Prince ; and glad Siddartha waxed 
At sight of all those liege and friendly folk 
Bright-clad'° and laughing as if life were good. 
*' Fair is the world," he said, " it likes me well ! 
And light and kind these men that are not kings, 
And sweet my sisters here, who toil and tend ; 
What have I done for these to make them thus ? 
Why, if I love them, should those children know ? 
I pray take up yon pretty Sakya boy 
Who flung us flowers, and let him ride with me. 
How good it is to reign in realms like this ! 
Kow simple pleasure is, if these be pleased 
Because I come abroad ! How many thing:; 
I need not if such little households hold 
Enough to make our city full of smiles ! 
Drive, Cbanna ! through the gates, and let me see 
More of this gracious world I have not known." 

So passed they through the gates, a joyous crowd 
Thronging about the wheels, whereof some ran 
Before the oxen, throwing wreaths, some stroked 
Their silken flanks, some brought them rice and cakes 
All crying, ^' Jai ! jai !^^ for our noble Prince ! " 
Thus all the path was kept with gladsome looks 
And filled with fair sights — for the King's word was 
That such should be — when midway in the road, 
Slow tottering from the hovel where he hid, 
Crept forth a wretch in rags, haggard and foul, 
An old, old man, whose shriveled skin, sun-tanned, 
Clung like a beast's hide to his fleshless bones. 
Bent was his back with load of many days, 



BOOK THE THKvD. 

His eyepits red with rust of ancient tears, 

His dim orbs blear with rheum, his toothless jaws 

Wagging with palsy and the fright to see 

So many and such joy. One skinny hand 

Clutched a worn staff to prop his quavering limbs, 

And one was pressed upon the ridge of ribs 

Whence came in gasps the heavy painful breath. 

" Alms ! " moaned he, *' give, good people ! for I die 

To-morrow or the next day ! " then the cough 

Choked him, but still he stretched his palm, and stood 

Blinking, and groaning 'mid his spasms, *' Alms ! " 

Then those around had wrenched his feeble feet 

Aside, and thrust him. from the road again, 

Saying, " The Prince ! dost see ? get to thy lair ! " 

But that Siddartha cried, " Let be ! let be ! 

Channa ! what thing is this who seems a man, 

Yet surely only seems, being so bowed, 

So miserable, so horrible, so sad ? 

Are men born sometimes thus ? What meaneth he 

Moaning * to-morrow or next day I die ?' 

Finds he no food that so his bones jut forth ? 

What woe hath happened to this piteous one ? ** 

Then answer made the charioteer, " Sweet Prince ! 

This is no other than an aged man. 

Some fourscore years ago his back was straight, 

His eye bright, and his body goodly : now 

The thievish years have sucked his sap away, 

Pillaged his strength and filched his will and wit ; 

His lamp has lost its oil, the wick burns black ; 

What life he keeps is one poor lingering spark 

Which flickers for the finish : such is age ; 



47 



i_ 



48 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Why should your Highness heed ? " Then spake the 

Prince — 
** But shall this come to others, or to all, 
Or is it rare that one should be as he ? " 
" Most noble," answered Channa, " even as he, 
Will all these grow if they shall live so long." 
"But," quoth the Prince, " if I shall live as long 
Shall I be thus ; and if Yas6dhara 
Live fourscore years, is this old age for her, 
Jalini,'=^ little Hasta,'' Gautami,'* 
And Gunga,^^ and the others ? " " Yea, great Sir ! '* 
The charioteer replied. Then spake the Prince : 
" Turn back, and drive me to my house again ! 
I have seen that I did not think to see." 

Which pondering, to his beauteous Court returned^ 
Wistful Siddartha, sad of mien and mood ; 
Nor tasted he the white cakes nor the fruits 
Spread for the evening feast, nor once looked up 
While the best palace-dancers strove to charm : 
Nor spake — save one sad thing — when wofully 
Yasbdhara sank to his feet and wept, 
Sighing, " Hath not my Lord comfort in me ? " 
*' Ah, Sweet ! " he said, " such comfort that my soul 
Aches, thinking it must end, for it will end,** 
And we shall both grow old, Yasbdhara ! 
Loveless, unlovely, weak, and old, and bowed. 
Nay, though we locked up love and life with lips 
So close that night and day our breaths grew one, 
Time would thrust in between to filch away 
My passion and thy grace, as black Night steals 



BOOK THE THIRD. 49 

The rose-gleams from yon peak, which fade to gray 
And are not seen to fade. This have I found, 
And all my heart is darkened with its dread, 
And all my heart is fixed to think how Love 
Might save its sweetness from the slayer, Time, 
Who makes men old." So through that night he sate 
Sleepless, uncomforted. 

And all that night 
The King Suddhodana dreamed troublous dreams. 
The first fear of his vision was a flag 
Broad, glorious, glistening with a golden sun. 
The mark of Indra ;^^ but a strong wind blew, 
Rending its folds divine, and dashing it 
Into the dust ; whereat a concourse came 
Of shadowy Ones, who took the spoiled silk up 
And bore it eastward from the city gates. 
The second fear was ten huge elephants. 
With silver tusks and feet that shook the earth, 
Trampling the southern road in mighty march ; 
And he who sate upon the foremost beast 
Was the King's son — the others followed him. 
The third fear of the vision was a car. 
Shining with blinding light, which four steeds drew, 
Snorting white smoke and champing fiery foam ; 
And in the car the Prince Siddartha sate. 
The fourth fear was a wheel which turned and turned, 
With nave of burning gold and jeweled spokes, 
And strange things written on the binding tire. 
Which seemed both fire and music as it whirled. 
The fifth fear was a mighty drum, set down 
Midway between the city and the hills, 



50 THE LIGHT OF ASIA, 

On which the Prince beat with an iron mace, 

So that the sound pealed Hke a thunder-storm, 

Rolling around ihe sky and far away. 

The sixth fear was a tower, which rose and rose 

High o'er the city till its stately head 

Shone crowned with clouds, and on the top the Prince 

Stood, scattering from both hands, this way and that, 

Gems of most lovely light, as if it rained 

Jacinths and rubies ; and the whole world came. 

Striving to seize those treasures as they fell 

Towards the four quarters. But the seventh fear was 

A noise of wailing, and behold six men 

Who wept and gnashed their teeth, and laid their palms 

Upon their mouths, walking disconsolate. 

These seven fears made the vision of his sleep, 
But none of all his wisest dream-readers 
Could tell their meaning. Then the King was wroth. 
Saying, " There cometh evil to my house. 
And none of ye have wit to help me know 
What the great gods portend sending me this." 
So in the city men went sorrowful 
Because the King had dreamed seven signs of fear 
Which none could read ; but to the gate there came 
An aged man, in robe of deer-skin clad. 
By guise a herm.it, known to none ; he cried, 
" Bring me before the King, for I can read 
The vision of his sleep ; " who, when he heard 
The sevenfold mysteries of the midnight dream. 
Bowed reverent and said, " O Maharaj ! 
I hail this favored House, whence shall arise 



mmm 



BOOK THE THIRD. 5I 

A wider-reaching splendor than the sun's ! | 

Lo ! all these seven fears are seven joys, 

Whereof the first, where thou didst see a flag — 

Broad, glorious, gilt with Indra's badge — cast down 

And carried out, did signify the end 

Of old faiths and beginning of the new, 

For there is change with gods not less than men, 

And as the days pass kalpas pass at length. 

The ten great elephants that shook the earth 

The ten great gifts of wisdom signify,^^ 

In strength whereof the Prince shall quit his state 

And shake the world with passage of the Truth. 

The four flame-breathing horses of the car 

Are those four fearless virtues^^ v/hich shall bring 

Thy son from doubt and gloom to gladsome light ; 

The wheel that turned with nave of burning gold 

Was that most precious Wheel of perfect Law 

Which he shall turn in sight of all the world. 

The mighty drum whereon the Prince did beat, 

Till the sound filled all lands, doth signify 

The thunder of the preaching of the Word 

Which he shall preach ; the tower that grew to heaven 

The growing of the Gospel of this Buddh 

Sets forth ; and those rare jewels scattered thence 

The untold treasures are of that good Law 

To gods and men dear and desirable. 

Such is the interpretation of the tower ; 

But for those six men weeping with shut mouths. 

They are the six chief teachers whom thy son 

Shall, with bright truth and speech unanswerable, 

Convince of foolishness. O King ! rejoice ; 

The fortune of my Lord the Prince is more 



52 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Than kingdoms, and his hermit-rags will be 

Beyond fine cloths of gold. This was thy dream ! 

And in seven nights and days these things shall fall." 

So spake the holy man, and lowly made 

The eight prostrations, touching thrice the ground ; 

Then turned and passed ; but when the King bade send 

A rich gift after him, the messengers 

Brought word, " We came to where he entered in 

At Chandra's temple,^'' but within was none 

Save a gray owl which fluttered from the shrine." 

The gods come sometimes thus. 

But the sad King 
Marveled, and gave command that new delights 
Be compassed to inthrall Siddartha's heart 
Amid those dancers of his pleasure-house, 
Also he set at all the brazen doors 
A doubled guard. 

Yet who shall shut out Fate ? 

For once again the spirit of the Prince 
Was moved to see this world beyond his gates, 
This life of man, so pleasant if its waves 
Ran not to waste and woful finishing 
In Time's dry sands. " I pray you let me view 
Our city as it is," such was his prayer 
To King Suddhodana. " Your Majesty 
Tn tender heed hath warned the folk before 
To put away ill things and common sights. 
And make their faces glad to gladden me, 
And all the causeways gay ; yet have I learned 
This is not daily life, and if I stand 



BOOK THE THIRD. 53 

Nearest, my father, to the realm and thee, \- 

Fain would I know the people and the streets, 
Their simple usual ways, and work-day deeds, 
And lives which those men live who are not kings. 
Give me good leave, dear Lord ! to pass unknown 
Beyond my happy gardens ; I shall come 
The more contented to their peace again, 
Or wiser, father, if not well content. 
Therefore, I pray thee, let me go at will 
To-morrow, with my servants, through the streets." 
And the King said, among his Ministers, 
*' Belike this second flight may mend the first. 
Note how the falcon starts at every sight 
New from his hood, but what a quiet eye 
Cometh of freedom ; let my son see all. 
And bid them bring me tidings of his mind." 

Thus on the morrow, when the noon was come, 
The Prince and Channa passed beyond the gates. 
Which opened to the signet of the King ; 
Yet knew not they who rolled the great doors back 
It was the King's son in that merchant's robe,^^ 
And in the clerkly dress^^ his charioteer. 
Forth fared they by the common way afoot, 
Mingling with all the Sakya citizens. 
Seeing the glad and sad things of the town : 
The painted streets alive with hum of noon, 
The traders cross-legged *mid their spice and grain,^ 
The buyers with their money in the cloth, ^^ 
The war of words to cheapen this or that,*^' 
The shout to clear the road, ^^ the huge stone wheels. 
The strong slow oxen and their rustling loads, 



4- 



54 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

The singing bearers with the palanquins,^ 

The broad-necked hamals^ sweating in the sun, 

The housewives bearing water from the well 

With balanced chatties, and athwart their hips 

The black-eyed babes ; ^^ the fly-swarmed sweetmeat 

shops,^ 
The weaver at his loom,^' the cotton-bow 
Twanging,^^ the millstones grinding meal, the dogs 
Prowling for orts, the skillful armorer 
With tong and hammer linking shirts of mail, 
The blacksmith with a mattock and a spear 
Reddening together in his coals, the school 
Where round their Giirii, in a grave half-moon, 
The Sakya children sang the mantras through, 
And learned the greater and the lesser gods ; ^^ 
The dyers stretching waistcloths in the sun ^ 
Wet from the vats — orange, and rose, and green ; 
The soldiers clanking past with swords and shields, 
The camel-drivers rocking on the humps. 
The Brahmin proud,^^ the martial Kshatriya,^® 
The humble toiling Sudra ;^^ here a throng 
Gathered to watch some chattering snake-tamer 
Wind round his wrist the living jewelry 
Of asp and nag,^ or charm the hooded death 
To angry dance with drone of beaded gourd ; ^^ 
There a long line of drums and horns, which went 
With steeds gay painted and silk canopies. 
To bring the young bride home ; and here a wife 
Stealing with cakes and garlands to the god 
To pray her husband's safe return from trade, 
Or beg a boy next birth ;"" hard by the booths 



J 

■■•■ ■ 



BOOK THE THIRD. 55 

Where the swart potters beat the noisy brass 
For lamps and lotas ; '^^ thence, by temple walls 
And gateways, to the river and the bridge 
Under the city walls. 

These had they passed 
When from the roadside moaned a mournful voice, 
" Help, masters ! lift me to my feet ; oh, help ! 
Or I shall die before I reach my house ! " 
A stricken wretch it was, whose quivering frame, 
Caught by some deadly plague, lay in the dust 
Writhing, with fiery purple blotches specked ; 
The chill sweat beaded on his brow, his mouth 
Was dragged awry with twitchings of sore pain, 
The wild eyes swam with inward agony. 
Gasping, he clutched the grass to rise, and rose 
Half-way, then sank, with quaking feeble limbs 
And scream of terror, crying, "Ah, the pain ? 
Good people, help ! " whereon Siddartha ran. 
Lifted the woful man with tender hands, 
With sweet looks laid the sick head on his knee. 
And while his soft touch comforted the wretch, 
Asked, " Brother, what is ill with thee? what harm 
Hath fallen ? wherefore canst thou not arise ? 
Why is it, Channa, that he pants and moans, 
And gasps to speak and sighs so pitiful ? " 
Then spake the charioteer : " Great Prince ! this man 
Is smitten with some pest ; his elements 
Are all confounded ; in his veins the blood, 
Which ran a wholesome river, leaps and boils 
A fiery flood ; his heart, which kept good time, 
Beats like an ill-played drum-skin, quick and slow ; 



56 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

His sinews slacken like a bow-string slipped ; 

The strength is gone from ham, and loin, and neck, 

And all the grace and joy of manhood fled : 

This is a sick man with the fit upon him. 

See how he plucks and plucks to seize his grief, 

And rolls his bloodshot orbs, and grinds his teeth, 

And draws his breath as if 'twere choking smoke. 

Lo ! now he would be dead, but shall not die 

Until the plague hath had its work in him. 

Killing the nerves which die before the life ; 

Then, when his strings have cracked with agony 

And all his bones are empty of the sense 

To ache, the plague will quit and light elsewhere. 

Oh, sir ! it is not good to hold him so ! 

The harm may pass, and strike thee, even thee." 

But spake the Prince, still comforting the man, 

" And are there others, are there many thus ? 

Or might it be to me as now with him ?" 

" Great Lord ! " answered the charioteer, " this comes 

In many forms to all men ; griefs and wounds, 

Sickness and tetters, palsies, leprosies. 

Hot fevers, watery wastings, issues, blains 

Befall all flesh and enter everywhere." 

" Come such ills unobserved ?" the Prince inquired. 

And Channa said, " Like the sly snake they come 

That stings unseen ; like the striped murderer,'*^ 

Who waits to spring from the Karunda bush,"''' 

Hiding beside the jungle path ; or like 

The lightning, striking these and sparing those. 

As chance may send." 

" Then all men live in fear ? " 



BOOK THE THIRD. 57 

" So live they, Prince ! '* 

" And none can say, * I sleep 
Happy and whole to-night, and so shall wake ? ' " 
** None say it." 

" And the end of many aches, 
Which come unseen, and will come when they come, 
Is this, a broken body and sad mind, 
And so old age ? " 

" Yea, if men last as long." 
" But if they cannot bear their agonies, 
Or if they will not bear, and seek a term ; 
Or if they bear, and be, as this man is, 
Too weak except for groans, and so still live, 
And growing old, grow older, then what end ? '* 
" They die, Prince." 

" Die ? " 

" Yea, at the last comes death, 
In whatsoever way, whatever hour. 
Some few grow old, most suffer and fall sick, 
But all must die — behold, where comes the Dead !" 

Then did Siddartha raise his eyes, and see 
Fast pacing towards the river brink a band 
Of wailing people, foremost one who swung 
An earthen bowl with lighted coals,^ behind 
The kinsmen shorn,^^ with mourning marks, ungirt. 
Crying aloud, " O Rama,^ Rama, hear ! 
Call upon Rama, brothers ; " next the bier. 
Knit of four poles with bamboos interlaced, 
Whereon lay, stark and stiff, feet foremost, lean, 
Chapfallen, sightless, hollow-flanked, a-grin. 



58 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Sprinkled with red and yellow dust — the Dead, 
Whom at the four-went ways they turned head first. 
And crying " Rama, Rama ! " carried on 
To where a pile was reared beside the stream ;" 
Thereon they laid him, building fuel up — 
Good sleep hath one that slumbers on that bed ! 
' He shall not wake for cold albeit he lies 
Naked to all the airs — for soon they set 
The red flame to the corners four, which crept, 
And licked, and flickered, finding out his flesh 
And feeding on it with swift hissing tongues. 
And crackle of parched skin, and snap of joint ; 
Till the fat smoke thinned and the ashes sank 
Scarlet and gray, with here and there a bone 
White midst the gray — the total of the man. 

Then spake the Prince : " Is this the end which comes 
To all who live ? " 

** This is the end that comes 
To all," quoth Channa ; "he upon the pyre — 
Whose remnants are so petty that the crows 
Caw hungrily, then quit the fruitless feast — 
Ate, drank, laughed, loved, and lived, and liked life well. 
Then came — who knows ? — some gust of jungle wind. 
A stumble on the path, a taint in the tank, 
A snake's nip, half a span of angry steel, 
A chill, a fishbone, or a falling tile. 
And life was over and the man is dead ; 
No appetites, no pleasures, and no pains 
Hath such ; the kiss upon his lips is nought, 
The fire-scorch nought ; he smelleth not his flesh 



BOOK THE THIRD. 59 

A-roast, nor yet tlie sandal and the spice 

They burn ; the taste is emptied from his mouth, 

The hearing of his ears is clogged, the sight 

Is blinded in his eyes ; those whom he loved 

Wail desolate, for even that must go, 

The body, which was lamp unto the life, 

Or worms will have a horrid feast of it. 

Here is the common destiny of flesh : 

The high and low, the good and bad, must die, 

And then, 'tis taught, begin anew and live 

Somewhere, somehow, — who knows ? — and so again 

The pangs, the parting, and the lighted pile : — 

Such is man's round." ^ 

But lo 1 Siddartha turned 
Eyes gleaming with divine tears to the sky, 
Eyes lit with heavenly pity to the earth ; 
From sky to earth he looked, from earth to sky, 
As if his spirit sought in lonely flight 
Some far-off vision, linking this and that, 
Lost — past — but searchable, but seen, but known. 
Then cried he, while his lifted countenance 
Glowed with the burning passion of a love 
Unspeakable, the ardor of a hope 
Boundless, insatiate : " Oh ! suffering world. 
Oh ! known and unknown of my common flesh, 
Caught in this common net of death and woe, 
And life which binds to both ! I see, I feel 
The vastness of the agony of earth. 
The vainness of its joys, the mockery 
Of all its best, the anguish of its worst ; 
Since pleasures end in pain, and youth in age, 



6o THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And love in loss, and life in hateful death, 

And death in unknown lives, which will but yoke 

Men to their wheel again to whirl the round 

Of false delights and woes that are not false. 

Me too this lure hath cheated, so it seemed 

Lovely to live, and life a sunlit stream 

Forever flowing in a changeless peace ; 

Whereas the foolish ripple of the flood 

Dances so lightly down by bloom and lawn 

Only to pour its crystal quicklier 

Into the foul salt sea. The veil is rent 

Which blinded me ! I am as all these men 

Who cry upon their gods and are not heard 

Or are not heeded — yet there must be aid ! 

For them and me and all there must be help » 

Perchance the gods have need of help themselves 

Being so feeble that when sad lips cry 

They cannot save ! I would not let one cry 

Whom I could save ! How can it be that Brahm ** 

Would make a world and keep it miserable, 

Since, if all-powerful, he leaves it so. 

He is not good, and if not powerful, 

He is not God ? — Channa ! lead home again ! 

It is enough ! mine eyes have seen enough ! '* 

Which when the King heard, at the gates he set 
A triple guard, and bade no man should pass 
By day or night, issuing or entering in. 
Until the days were numbered of that dreara. 



J300k t\)C iToxtrtl). 



But when the days were numbered, then befell 
The parting of our Lord — which was to be — 
Whereby came wailing in the Golden Home, 
Woe to the King and sorrow o'er the land. 
But for all flesh deliverance, and that Law 
Which — whoso hears — the same shall make him free. 

Softly the Indian night sinks on the plains 
At full moon in the month of Chaitra shud,^ 
When mangoes redden and the asoka buds^ 
Sweeten the breeze, and Rama's birthday comes,^ 
And all the fields are glad and all the towns. 
Softly that night fell over Vishramvan, 
Fragrant with blooms and jeweled thick with stars, 
And cool with mountain airs sighing adown 
From snow-flats on Himala high-outspread ; 
For the moon swung above the eastern peaks, 
Climbing the spangled vault, and lighting clear 
Rohini's ripples and the hills and plains, 
And all the sleeping land, and near at hand 
Silvering those roof-tops of the pleasure-house, 
Where noth,ing stirred nor sign of watching was. 
Save at the outer gates whose warders cried 

61 



62 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Mudra!' the watchword, and the countersign 
Angaria^ and the watch-drums beat a round ; 
Whereat the earth lay still, except for call 
Of prowling jackals, and the ceaseless trill 
Of crickets on the garden grounds. 

Within— 
Where the moon glittered through the lace-worked stone, 
Lighting the walls of pearl-shell and the floors 
Paved with veined marble — softly fell her beams 
On such rare company of Indian girls, 
It seemed some chamber sweet in Paradise 
Where Devas® rested. All the chosen ones 
Of Prince Siddartha's pleasure-home were there, 
The brightest and most faithful of the Court, 
Each form so lovely in the peace of sleep, 
That you had said " This is the pearl of all '. '\ 
Save that beside her or beyond her lay 
Fairer and fairer, till the pleasured gaze 
Roamed o'er that feast of beauty as it roams 
From gem to gem in some great goldsmith- work, 
Caught by each color till the next is seen. 
With careless grace they lay. their soft brown limbs 
Part hidden, part revealed ; their glossy hair 
Bound back with gold or flowers, or flowing loose 
In black waves down the shapely nape and neck. 
Lulled into pleasant dreams by happy toils, 
They slept, no wearier than jeweled birds 
Which sing and love all day, then under wing 
Fold head till morn bids sing and love again. 
Lamps of chased silver swinging from the roof 



1 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 6^ 

In silver chains, and fed with perfumed oils, 

Made with the moonbeams tender lights and shades, 

Whereby were seen the perfect lines of grace, 

The bosom's placid heave, the soft stained palms 

Drooping or clasped, the faces fair and dark, 

The great arched brows, the parted lips, the teeth 

Like pearls a merchant picks to make a string, 

The satin-lidded eyes, v/ith lashes dropped 

Sweeping the delicate cheeks, the rounded wrists. 

The smooth small feet with bells and bangles decked, 

Tinkling low music where some sleeper moved, 

Breaking her smiling dream of some new dance 

Praised by the Prince, some magic ring to find. 

Some fairy love-gift. Here one lay full-length, 

Her vina by her cheek, and in its strings 

The little fingers still all interlaced 

As when the last notes of her light song played 

Those radiant eyes to sleep and sealed her own. 

Another slumbered folding in her arms 

A desert-antelope, its slender head 

Buried with back-sloped horns between her breasts. 

Soft nestling ; it was eating — when both drowsed — 

Red roses, and her loosening hand still held 

A rose half-mumbled, while a rose-leaf curled 

Between the deer's lips. Here two friends had dozed 

Together, weaving mogra-buds, which bound 

Their sister-sweetness in a starry chain, 

Linking them limb to limb and heart to heart 

One pillowed on the blossoms, one on her. 

Another, ere she slept, was stringing stones 

To make a necklet — agate, onyx, sard. 



64 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Coral, and moonstone — round her wrist it gleamed 
A coil of splendid color, while she held, 
Unthreaded yet, the bead to close it up, 
Green turkis, carved with golden gods and scripts. 
Lulled by the cadence of the garden stream, 
Thus lay they on the clustered carpets, each 
A girlish rose with shut leaves, waiting dawn 
To open and make daylight beautiful. 
This was the antechamber of tlie Prince ; 
But at the purdah's fringe the sweetest slept — 
Gunga and Gotama — chief ministers 
In that still house of love. 

The purdah hung, 
Crimson and blue, with broidered threads of gold. 
Across a portal carved in sandal- wood, 
Whence by three steps the way was to the bower 
Of inmost splendor, and the marriage-couch 
Set on a dais soft with silver cloths, 
Where the foot fell as though it trod on piles 
Of neem-blooms. All the walls were plates of pearl, 
Cut shapely from the shells of Lanka V wave ; 
And o'er the alabaster roof there ran 
Rich inlayings of lotus and of bird, 
Wrought in skilled work of lazulite and jade, 
Jacinth and jasper ; woven round the dome. 
And down the sides, and all about the frames 
Wherein were set the fretted lattices, 
Through which there breathed, with moonlight and cool 

airs, 
Scents from the shell-flowers and the jasmine sprays ; 
Not bringing thither grace or tenderness 



"i~" 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 65 

Sweeter than shed from those fair presences 
Within the place — the beauteous Sakya Prince, 
And hers, the stately, bright Yas6dhara. 

Half risen from her soft nest at his side, 

The chuddah* fallen to her waist, her brow 

Laid in both palms, the lovely Princess leaned 

With heaving bosom and fast falling tears. 

Thrice with her lips she touched Siddartha's hand, 

And at the third kiss moaned, " Awake, my Lord ! 

Give me the comfort of thy speech ! " Then he — 

** What is it with thee, O my life ? " but still 

She moaned anew before the words would come ; 

Then spake, " Alas, my Prince ! I sank to sleep 

Most happy, for the babe I bear of thee 

Quickened this eve, and at my heart there beat 

That double pulse of life and joy and love 

Whose happy music lulled me, but — aho ! — 

In slumber I beheld three sights of dread, 

With thought whereof my heart is throbbing yet. 

I saw a white bull with wide branching horns, 

A lord of pastures, pacing through the streets, 

Bearing upon his front a gem which shone 

As if some star had dropped to glitter there, 

Or like the kantha-stone® the great Snake keeps 

To make bright daylight underneath the earth. 

Slow through the streets towards the gates he paced, 

And none could stay him, though there came a voice 

From Indra's temple, ' If ye stay him not, 

The glory of the city goeth forth.* 

Yet none could stay him. Then I wept aloud, 
3 



t 



" 



66 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And locked my arms about his neck, and strove, 

And bade them bar the gates ; but that ox-king 

Bellowed, and, lightly tossing free his crest, 

Broke from my clasp, and bursting through the bars, 

Trampled the warders down and passed away. 

The next strange dream was this : Four Presences 

Splendid, with shininc; eyes, so beautiful 

They seemed the Regents of the Earth who dwell 

On Mount Sumeru, lighting from the sky 

With retinue of countless heavenly ones, 

Swift swept unto our city, where I saw 

The golden flag of Indra on the gate 

Flutter and fall ; and lo ! there rose instead 

A glorious banner, all the folds whereof 

Rippled with flashing fire of rubies sewn 

Thick on the silver threads, the rays wherefrom 

Set forth new words and weighty sentences 

Whose message made all living creatures glad ; 

And from the east the wind of sunrise blew 

With tender waft, opening tliose jeweled scrolls 

So that all flesh might read ; and wondrous blooms — 

Plucked in what clime I know not — fell in showers, 

Colored as none are colored in our groves." 

Then spake the Prince : " All this, my Lotus-flower i 
Was good to see." 

" Ay, I^ord," the Princess said, 
"Save that it ended with a voice of fear 
Crying, ' The time is nigh ! the time is nigh ! * 
Thereat the third dream came ; for when I sought 
Thy side, sweet Lord ! ah, on our bed there lay 



aWBHBMIiaiaM 



I 

"4" 



BOOK THE FOURTH 67 

An unpressed pillow and an empty ro? 
Nothing of thee but those ! — nothing of thee, 
Who art my life and light, my king, my world ! 
And sleeping still I rose, and sleeping saw 
Thy belt of pearls, tied here below my breasts, 
Change to a stinging snake ; my ankle-rings 
Fall off, my golden bangles part and fall • 
The jasmines in my hair wither to dust ; 
While this our bridal-couch sank to the ground, 
And something rent the crimson purdah down ; 
Then far away I heard the white bull low. 
And far away the embroidered banner flap, 
And once again that cry, * The time is come ! * 
But with that cry — which shakes my spirit still — 
I woke ! O Prince ! what may such visions meap 
Except I die, or — worse than any death — 
Thou shouldst forsake me or be taken ? " 

Sweet 
As the last smile of sunset was the look 
Siddartha bent upon his w*eeping,wife. 
" Comfort thee, dear ! " he said, " if comfort lives 
In changeless love ; for though thy dreams may be 
Shadows of things to come, and though the gods 
Are shaken in their seats, and though the world 
Stands nigh, perchance, to know some way of help, 
Yet, whatsoever fall to thee and me, 
Be sure I loved and love Yasodhara. 
Thou knowest how I muse these many moons, 
Seeking to save the sad earth I have seen ; 
(\nd when the time comes, that which will be will 
put if my bOuI yearns sore for souls unknown, 






1 rr^' -^ -^— .M--aKj 



68 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And if I grieve for griefs which are not mine, 

Judge how my high-winged thoughts must hover here 

O'er all these lives that share and sweeten mine — 

So dear ! and thine the dearest, gentlest, best, 

And nearest. Ah, thou mother of my babe ! 

Whose body mixed with mine for this fair hope, 

When most my spirit wanders, ranging round 

The lands and seas — as full of ruth for men 

As the far-flying dove is full of ruth 

For her twin nestlings — ever it has come 

Home with glad wing and passionate plumes to thee, 

Who art the sweetness of my kind best seen. 

The utmost of their good, the tenderest 

Of all their tenderness, mine most of all. 

Therefore, whatever after this betide, 

Bethink thee of that lordly bull which owed. 

That jeweled banner in thy dream which waved 

Its folds departing, and of this be sure. 

Always I loved and always love thee well. 

And what I sought for all sought most for thee. 

But thou, take comfort ; and, if sorrow falls, 

Take comfort still in deeming there may be 

A way of peace on earth by woes of ours ; 

And have with this embrace what faithful love 

Can think of thanks or frame for benison — 

Too little, seeing love's strong self is weak — 

Yet kiss me on the mouth, and drink these words 

From heart to heart therewith, that thou mayst know — 

What others will not — that I loved thee most 

Because I loved so well all living souls. 

Now. Princess ! rest, for I will rise and watch." 



CNomaMauriai 



■iiwaSiMiwiiw 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 69 

Then in her tears she slept, but sleeping sighed — 
As if that vision passed again — " The time ! 
The time is come ! " Whereat Siddartha turned, 
And, lo ! the moon shone by the Crab ! the stars 
In that same silver order long foretold 
Stood ranged to say, " This is the night ! — choose thou 
The way of greatness or the way of good : 
To reign a King of kings, or wander lone, 
Crownless and homeless, that the world be helped." 
Moreover, with the whispers of the gloom 
Came to his ears again that warning song, 
As when the Devas spoke upon the wind : 
And surely Gods were round about the place 
Watching our Lord, who vv^atched the shining stars. 

" I will depart," he spake ; " the hour is come 1 
Thy tender lips, dear sleeper, summon me 
To that which saves the earth but sunders us ; 
And in the silence of yon sky I read 
My fated message flashing. Unto this 
Came I, and unto this all nights and days 
Have led me ; for I will not have that crown 
Which may be mine : I lay aside those realms 
Which wait the gleaming of my naked sword : 
My chariot shall not roll with bloody v/heels 
From victory to victory, till earth 
Wears the red record of my name. I choose 
To tread its paths with patient, stainless feet, 
Making its dust my bed, its loneliest wastes 
My dwelling, and its meanest things my mates : 
Clad in no prouder garb than outcasts wear, 



70 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Fed with no meats save what the charitable 

Give of their will, sheltered by no more pomp 

Than the dim cave lends or the jungle-bush. 

This will I do because the woiul cry 

Of life and all flesh living cometh up 

Into my ears, and all my soul is full 

Of pity for the sickness of this world ; 

Which I will heal, if healing may be found 

By uttermost renouncing and strong strife. 

For which of all the great and lesser Gods 

Have power or pity ? Who hath seen them — who ? 

What have they wrought to help their worshipers ? 

How hath it steaded man to pray, and pay 

Tithes of the corn and oil, to chant the charms, 

To slay the shrieking sacrifice, to rear 

The stately fane, to feed the priests, and call 

On Vishnu,^° Shiva," Surya,^^ who save 

None — not the worthiest — from the griefs that teach 

Those litanies of flattery and fear 

Ascending day by day, like wasted smoke ? 

Hath any of my brothers 'scaped thereby 

The aches of life, the stings of love and loss, 

The fiery fever and the ague-shake. 

The slow, dull sinking into withered age, 

The horrible dark death — and what beyond 

Waits — till the whirling wheel comes up again, 

And new lives bring new sorrows to be borne, 

New generations for the new desires 

Which have their end in the old mockeries ? 

Hath any of my tender sisters found 

Fruit of the fast or harvest of the hymn, 



mam» bnoa 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 7I 

Or bought one pang the less at bearing-time 

For white curds offered and trim tulsi-leaves ? 

Nay ; it may be some of the Gods are good 

And evil some, but all in action weak ; 

Both pitiful and pitiless, and both — 

As men are — bound upon this wheel of change, 

jKnowing the former and the after lives. 

For so our scriptures truly seem to teach. 

That — once, and wheresoe'cr, and whence begun — 

Life runs its rounds of living, climbing up 

From mote, and gnat, and worm, reptile, and fish, 

Bird and shagged beast, man, demon, deva, God, 

To clod and mote again ; so are we kin 

To all that is ; and thus, if one might save 

Man from his curse, the whole wide world should share 

The lightened horror of this ignorance 

Whose shadow is chill fear, and cruelty 

Its bitter pastime. Yea, if one might save ! 

And means must be ! There must be refuge ! Men 

Perished in winter-winds till one smote fire 

From flint-stones coldly hiding what they held, 

The red spark treasured from the kindling sun. 

They gorged on flesh like wolves, till one sowed corn. 

Which grew a weed, yet makes the life of man ; 

They mowed and babbled till some tongue struck speech. 

And patient fingers framed the lettered sound. 

What good gift have my brothers, but it came 

From search and strife and loving sacrifice ? 

If one, then, being great and fortunate. 

Rich, dowered with health and ease, from birth designed 

To rule — if he would rule — a King of kings ; 



72 



THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 



If one, not tired with life's long day but glad 

I' the freshness of its morning, one not cloyed 

With love's delicious feasts, but hungry still ; 

If one not worn and wrinkled, sadly sage, 

But joyous in the glory and the grace 

That mix with evils here, and free to choose 

Earth's loveliest at his will : one even as I, 

Who ache not, lack not, grieve not, save with griefs 

Which are not mine, except as I am man ; — 

If such a one, having so much to give. 

Gave all, laying it down for love of men. 

And thenceforth spent himself to search for truth, 

Wringing the secret of deliverance forth. 

Whether it lurk in hells or hide in heavens. 

Or hover, unrevealed, nigh unto all : 

Surely at last, far off, sometime, somewhere. 

The veil would lift for his deep-searching eyes, 

The road would open for his painful feet, 

That should be won for which he lost the world, 

And Death might find him conqueror of death. 

This will I do, who have a realm to lose. 

Because I love my realm, because my heart 

Beats with each throb of all the hearts that ache, 

Known and unknown, these that are mine and those 

Which shall be mine, a thousand million more 

Saved by this sacrifice I offer now. 

Oh, summoning stars ! I come ! Oh, mournful earth ; 

For thee and thine I lay aside my youth, 

My throne, my joys, my golden days, my nights, 

My happy palace — and thine arms, sweet Queen ! 

Harder to put aside than all the rest ! 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 73 

Yet thee, too, I shall save, saving this earth ; 

And that which stirs within thy tender womb, 

My child, the hidden blossom of our loves, 

Whom if I wait to bless my mind will fail. 

Wife ! child ! father ! and people ! ye must share 

A little while the anguish of this hour 

That light may break and all flesh learn the Law. 

Now am I fixed, and now I will depart, 

Never to come again till what I seek 

Be found — if fervent search and strife avail." 

So with his brow he touched her feet, and bent 
The farewell of fond eyes, unutterable. 
Upon her sleeping face,^^ still wet with tears ; 
And thrice around the bed in reverence. 
As though it were an altar, softly stepped 
With clasped hands laid upon his beating heart, 
" For never," spake he, *' lie I there again ! " 
And thrice he made to go, but thrice came back, 
So strong her beauty was, so large his love : 
Then, o'er his head drawing his cloth, he turned 
And raised the purddh's edge : 

There drooped, close-hushed, 
In such sealed sleep as water-lilies know. 
The lovely garden of his Indian girls ; 
That twin dark-petaled lotus-buds of all — 
Gunga and Gautami — on either side. 
And those, their silk-leaved sisterhood, beyond. 
*' Pleasant ye are to me, sweet friends ! " he said, 
" And dear to leave ; yet if I leave ye not 
What else will come to all of us save eld . 



74 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Without assuage and death without avail ? 

Lo ! as ye lie asleep so must ye lie 

A-dead ; and when the rose dies where are gone 

Its scent and splendor ? when the lamp is drained 

Whither is fled the flame ? Press heavy, Night ! 

Upon their down-dropped lids and seal their lips, 

That no tear stay me and no faithful voice. 

For all the brighter that these made my life, 

The bitterer it is that they and I, 

And all, should live as trees do — so much spring, 

Such and such rains and frosts, such winter-times. 

And then dead leaves, with may be spring again, 

Or ax-stroke at the root. This will not I, 

Whose life here was a God's ! — this would not I, 

Though all my days were godlike, while men moan 

Under their darkness. Therefore farewell, friends ! 

While life is good to give, I give, and go 

To seek deliverance and that unknown Light ! " 

Then, lightly treading where those sleepers lay, 

Into the night Siddartha passed : its eyes. 

The watchful stars, looked love on him : its breath, 

The wandering wind, kissed his robe's fluttered fringe ; 

The garden-blossoms, folded for the dawn, 

Opened their velvet hearts to waft him scents 

From pink and purple censers : o'er the land. 

From Himalay unto the Indian Sea, 

A tremor spread, as if earth's soul beneath 

Stirred with an unknown hope ; and holy books — 

Which tell the story of our Lord — say, too. 

That rich celestial musics thrilled the air 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 75 

From hosts on hosts of shining ones, who thronged 

Eastward and westward, making bright the night — 

Northward and southward, making glad the ground. 

Also those four dread Regents of the Earth, 

Descending at the doorway, two by two, — 

With their bright legions of Invisibles 

In arms of sapphire, silver, gold, and pearl — 

Watched with joined hands the Indian Prince, who stood, 

His tearful eyes raised to the stars, and lips 

Close-set with purpose of prodigious love. 

Then strode he forth into the gloom and cried, 
" Channa, awake ! and bring out Kantaka ! " 

" What would my Lord ? " the charioteer replied — 
Slow-rising from his place beside the gate — 
" To ride at night when all the ways are dark ? " 

" Speak low," Siddartha said, " and bring nty horse, 
For now the hour is come when I should quit 
This golden prison where my heart lives caged 
To find the truth ; which henceforth I will seek, 
For all men's sake, until the truth be found." 

"Alas ! dear Prince," answered the charioteer, 
" Spake then for nought those wise and holy men 
Who cast the stars and bade us wait the time 
When King Suddhodana's great son should rule 
Realms upon realms, and be a Lord of lords ? 
Wilt thou ride hence and let the rich world slip 
Out of thy grasp, to hold a beggar's bowl ? 



l^ttJUPMH^ JHtW.II 



T 



y6 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Wilt thou go forth into the friendless waste 
That hast this Paradise of pleasures here ? " 

The Prince made answer, *' Unto this I came, 
And not for thrones : the kingdom that I crave 
Is more than many realms — and all things pass 
To change and death. Bring me forth Kantaka ! " 

" Most "honored," spake again the charioteer, 
" Bethink ihee of my Lord thy father's grief ! 
Bethink thcc r{ their woe whose bliss thou art- 
How shalt thou help them, first undoing them ? ** 

Siddartha answered, " Friend, that love is false 
Which clings to love for selfish sweets of love ; 
But I, who love these more than joys of mine — 
Yea, more than joy of theirs — depart to save 
Them and aU flesh, if utmost love avail 
Go, bring mo Kantaka ! " 

Then Channa said, 
" Master, I go ! " and forthwith, mournfully, 
Unto the stall he passed, and from the rack 
Took down the silver bit and bridle-chains, 
Breast-cord and curb, and knitted fast the straps, 
And linked the hooks, and led out Kantaka : 
Whom tethering to the ring, he combed and dressed, 
Stroking the snowy coat to silken gloss ; 
Next on the steed he laid the numdah '* square. 
Fitted the saddle-cloth across, and set 
The saddle fair, drew tight the jeweled girths, 




BOOK THE FOURTH. 7/ 

Buckled the breech-bands and the martingale, 
And made fall both the stirrups of worked gold. 
Then over all he cast a golden net, 
With tassels of seed-pearl and silken strings, 
And led the great horse to the palace door, 
Where stood the Prince ° but when he saw his Lord, 
Right glad he waxed and joyoudy he neighed, 
Spreading his scarlet nDstrils ; and the books 
Write, " Surely all had heard Kantaka's neigh, 
And that strong trampling of his ircn heels, 
Save that the Devas laid their unseen wings 
Over their ears and kept the sleepers deaf." 

Fondly Siddartha drew the proud head down, 
Patted the shining neck, and said, " Be still. 
White Kantaka ! be still, and bear me now 
The farthest journey ever rider rode ; 
For this night take I horse to find the truth, 
And where my quest will end yet know I not, 
Save that it shall not end until I find. 
Therefore to-night, good steed, be fierce and bold ! 
Let nothing stay thee, though a thousand blades | 

Deny the road ! let neither wall nor moat 
Forbid our flight ! Look ! if I touch thy flank 
And cry, * On, Kantaka ! ' let whirlwinds lag 
Behind thy course ! Be fire and air, my horse ! 
To stead thy Lord, so shalt thou share with him 
The greatness of this deed which helps the world ; 
For therefore ride I, not for men alone. 
But for all things which, speechless, share our pain 
And have no hope, nor wit to ask for hope. 
Now, therefore- bear thy master valorously ' '* 



78 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Then to the saddle lightly leaping, he 
Touched the arched crest, and Kantaka sprang forth 
With armed hoofs sparkling on the stones and ring 
Of champing bit ; but none did hear that sound, 
For that the Suddha Devas,^^ gathering near, 
Plucked the red mohra-flowers^^ and strewed them thick 
Under his tread, while hands invisible 
Muffled the ringing bit and bridle-chains. 
Moreover, it is written when they cane 
Upon the pavement near the inner gates. 
The Yakshas of the air laid magic cloths 
Under the stallion's feet, so that he went 
Softly and still. 

But when they reached the gate" 
Of tripled brass — which hardly fivescore men 
Served to unbar and open — lo l the doors 
Rolled back all silently, though one might hear 
in daytime two kos off the thunderous roar 
Of those grim hinges and unwieldy plates. 

itfso the middle and the outer gates 
Unfolded each their monstrous portals thus 
In silence as Siddartha and his steed 
Drew near ; while underneath their shadow lay, 
Silent as dead men, all those chosen guards — 
The lance and sword let fall, the shields unbraced, 
'claptains and soldiers — for there came a wind, 
Drowsier than blows o'er Mahva's^^ fields of sleep, 
Before the Prince's path, which, being breathed. 
Lulled every sense aswoon : and so he passed 
Free from the palace. 



BOOK THE FOURTH. 79 

When the morning star 
Stood half a spear's length from the eastern rim, 
And o'er the earth the breath of morning sighed 
Rippling Anoma's wave," the border-stream, 
Then drew he rein, and leaped to earth and kissed 
White Kantaka betwixt the ears, and spake 
Full sweet to Channa:^'' "This which thou hast done 
Shall bring thee good and bring all creatures good. 
Be sure I love thee always for thy love. 
Lead back my horse and take my crest-pearl here, 
My princely robes, which henceforth stead me not. 
My jeweled sword-belt and my sword, and these 
The long locks by its bright edge severed thus 
From off my brows. Give the King all, and say 
Siddartha prays forget him till he come 
Ten times a Prince, with royal wisdom won 
From lonely searchings and the strife for light ; 
Where, if I conquer, lo ! all earth is mine — 
Mine by chief service ! — tell him — mine by love I 
Since there is hope for man only in man. 
And none hath sought for this as I will seek, 
Who cast away my world to save my world." 



Book ll)e iTiftf). 



Round Rdjdgriha^ five fair hills arose, 
Guarding King Bimbsara's sylvan town: 
Baibhara/ green with lemon-grass and palms; 
Bipulla, at whose foot thin Sarsuti^ 
Steals with warm ripple; shadowy Tapovan,^ 
Whose steaming pools mirror black rocks, which ooze 
Sovereign earth-butter^ from their rugged roofs ; 
South-east the vulture-peak Sailagiri f 
And eastward Ratnagiri, hill of gems. 
A winding track, paven with foot-worn slabs, 
Leads thee by safflower fields and bamboo tufts 
Under dark mangoes and the jujube-trees,' 
Past milk-white veins of rock and jasper crags, 
Low cliff and flats of jungle-flowers, to where 
The shoulder of that mountain, sloping west, 
O'erhangs a cave with wild figs canopied. 
Lo ! thou who comest thither, bare thy feet 
And bow thy head ! for all this spacious earth 
Hath not a spot more dear and hallowed. Here 
Lord Buddha sate^ the scorching summers through. 
The driving rains, the chilly dawns and eves ; 
Wearing for all men's sakes the yellow robe, 

80 



BOOK THE FIFTH 6t 

Eating in beggar's guise the scanty meal 

Chance-gathered from the charitable ; at night 

Couched on the grass, homeless, alone ; while yelped 

The sleepless jackals round his cave, or coughs 

Of famished tiger from the thicket broke. 

By day and night here dwelt the World-honored, 

Subduing that fair body born for bliss 

With fast and frequent watch and search intense 

Of silent meditation, so prolonged 

That ofttimes while he mused — as motionless 

As the fixed rock his seat — the squirrel leaped 

Upon his knee, the timid quail led forth 

Her brood between his feet, and blue doves pecked 

The rice-grains from the bowl beside his hand. 

Thus would he muse from noontide^ — when the land 
Shimmered with heat, and walls and temples danced 
In the reeking air — till sunset, noting not 
The blazing globe roll down, nor evening glide, 
Purple and swift, across the softened fields ; 
Nor the still coming of the stars, nor throb 
Of drum-skins in the busy town, nor screech 
Of owl and night-jar ; wholly wrapt from self 
In keen unraveling of the threads of thought 
And steadfast pacing of life's labyrinths. 
Thus would he sit till midnight hushed the world, 
Save where the beasts of darkness in the brake 
Crept and cried out, as fear and hatred cry, 
As lust and avarice and anger creep 
In the black jungles of man's ignorance. 
Then slept he for what space the fleet moon asks 



82 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

To swim a tenth part of her cloudy sea; 
But rose ere the False- dawn,**^ and stood again 
Wistful on some dark platform of his hill, 
Watching the sleeping earth with ardent eyes 
And thoughts embracing all its living things, 
While o'er the waving fields that murmur move 
Which is the kiss of Morn waking the lands, 
And in the east that miracle of Day 
Gathered and grew. At first a dusk so dim 
Night seems still unaware of whispered dawn, 
But soon — before the jungle-cock crows twice — 
A white verge clear, a widening, brightening white, 
High as the herald- star, which fades in floods 
Of silver, warming into pale gold, caught 
By topmost clouds, and flaming on their rims 
To fervent golden glow, flushed from the brink 
With saffron, scarlet, crimson, amethyst ; 
Whereat the sky burns splendid to the blue. 
And, robed in raiment of glad light, the King 
Of Life and Glory cometh !" 

Then our Lord, 
After the manner of a RishI, hailed 
The rising orb,^^ and went — ablutions made — 
Down by the winding path unto the town ; 
And in the fashion of a Rishi passei* 
From street to street, with begging-bowl in hand. 
Gathering the little pittance of his needs. 
Soon was it filled, for all the townsmen cried, 
" Take of our store, great sir ! " and " Take of ours ! *' 
Marking his godlike face and eyes enwrapt ; 
And mothers, when they saw our Lord go by, 



"F 



BOOK THE FIFTH. S$ 

Would bid their children fall to kiss his feet, 

And lift his robe's hem to their brows, or run 

To fill his jar, and fetch him milk and cakes. 

And ofttimes as he paced, gentle and slow, 

Radiant with heavenly pity, lost in care 

For those he knew not, save as fellow-lives. 

The dark surprised eyes of some Indian maid 

Would dwell in sudden love and worship deep 

On that majestic form, as if she saw 

Her dreams of tenderest thought made true, and grace 

Fairer than mortal fire her breast. But he 

Passed onward with the bowl and yellow robe. 

By mild speech payinrj all those gifts of hearts, 

Wending his way back to the solitudes 

To sit upon his hill with holy men, 

And hear and ask of wisdom and its roads. 

Midway on Ratnagiri's groves of calm, 
Beyond the city, but below the caves. 
Lodged such as hold the body foe to soul. 
And flesh a beast which men must chain and tame 
With bitter pains, till sense of pain is killed. 
And tortured nerves vex torturer no more — 
Yogis'^ and Brahmacharis,'* Bhikshus,'^ all 
A gaunt and mournful band,'^ dwelling apart. 
Some day and night had stood with lifted arms, 
Till — drained of blood and withered by disease — 
Their slowly-wasting joints and stiffened limbs 
Jutted from sapless shoulders like dead forks 
From forest trunks. Others had clinched their hands 
So long and with so fierce a fortitude. 



84 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

The daw-like nails grew through the festered palm. 

Some walked on sandals spiked ; some with sharp flints 

Gashed breast and brow and thigh, scarred these with fire, 

Threaded their flesh with jungle thorns and spits, 

Besmeared with mud and ashes, crouching foul 

In rags of dead men wrapped about their loins. 

Certain there were inhabited the spots 

Where death-pyres smouldered, cowering defiled 

With corpses for their company, and kites 

Screaming around them o'er the funeral-spoils : 

Certain who cried five hundred times a day 

The names of Shiva, wound with darting snakes 

About their sun-tanned necks and hollow flanks 

One palsied foot drawn up against the ham. 

So gathered they, a grievous company ; 

Crowns blistered by the blazing heat, eyes bleared, 

Sinews and muscles shriveled, visages 

Haggard and wan as slain men's, five days dead ; 

Here crouched one in the dust who noon by noon 

Meted a thousand grains of millet out, 

Ate it with famished patience, seed by seed, 

And so starved on ; there one who bruised his pulse 

With bitter leaves lest palate should be pleased ; 

And next, a miserable saint self-maimed, 

Eyeless and tongueless, sexless, crippled, deaf ; 

The body by the mind being thus stripped 

For glory of much suffering, and the bliss 

Which they shall win — say holy books — whose woe 

Shames gods that send us woe, and makes men gods 

Stronger to suffer than Hell is to harm. 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 85 

Whom sadly eying spake our Lord to one, 
Chief of the woe-begones : " Much-suffering sir ! 
These many moons I dwell upon the hill — 
Who am a seeker of the Truth — and see 
My brothers here, and thee, so piteously 
Self-anguished ; wherefore add ye ills to life 
Which is so evil ? " 

Answer made the sage : 

Tis written if a man shall mortify 
His flesh, till pain be grown the life he lives 
And death voluptuous rest, such woes shall purge 
Sin's dross away, and the soul, purified, 
Soar from the furnace of its sorrow, winged 
For glorious spheres and splendor past all thought." 

" Yon cloud which floats in heaven," the Prince replied, 
" Wreathed like gold cloth around your Indra's throne, 
kose thither from the tempest-driven sea ; 
But it must fall again in tearful drops, 
Trickling through rough and painful water-ways 
By cleft and nullah and the muddy flood, 
To Gunga and the sea, wherefrom it sprang. 
Know'st thou, my brother, if it be not thus. 
After their many pains, with saints in bliss ? 
Since that which rises falls, and that which buys 
Is spent ; and if ye buy he-av'n with your blood 
In hell's hard market, when the bargain's through 
The toil begins again ! " 

" It may begin," 
The hermit moaned. " Alas !• we know not this-^ 



S6 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Nor surely anything ; yet after night 
Day comes, and after turmoil peace, and we 
Hate this accursed flesh which clogs the soul 
That fain would rise ; so, for the sake of soul, 
We stake brief agonies in game with Gods 
To gain the larger joys." 

" Yet if they last 
A myriad years," he said, "they fade at length. 
Those joys ; or if not, is there then some life 
Below, above, beyond, so unlike life 
It will not change ? Speak ! do your Gods endure 
Forever, brothers ? " 

" Nay," the Yogis said, 
"Only great Brahm endures : the Gods but live." " 

Then spake Lord Buddha : " Will ye, being wise, 
As ye seem holy and strong-hearted ones. 
Throw these sore dice, which are your groans and moans, 
For gains which may be dreams, and must have end''' 
Will ye, for love of soul, so loathe your flesh, 
So scourge and maim it, that it shall not serve 
To bear the spirit on, searching for home, 
But founder on the track before nightfall, 
Like willing steed o'er-spurred ? Will ye, sad siris 
Dismantle and dismember this fair house, 
Where we have come to dwell by painful pasts ; 
Whose windows give us light — the little light — 
Whereby we gaze abroad to know if dawn 
Will break, and whither winds the better road?" 



BOOK THE FIFTH.' 87 

Then cried they, " We havft chosen this for road 
And tread it, Rajdputra,^^ till the close — 
Though all its stones were fire — in trust of death. 
Speak, if thou know'st a way more excellent ; 
If not, peace go with thee ! '* 

Onward he passed, 
Exceeding sorrowful, seeing how men 
Fear so to die they are afraid to fear, 
lust so to live they dare not love their life, 
But plague it with fierce penances, belike 
To please the Gods who grudge pleasure to man % 
Belike to balk hell by self-kindled hells : 
Belike in holy madness, hoping soul 
May break the better through their wasted flesh. 
" Oh, florets of the field ! " Siddartha said, 
" Who turn your tender faces to the sun — 
Glad of the light, and grateful with sweet breath 
Of fragrance and these robes of reverence donned 
Silver and gold and purple — none of ye 
Miss perfect living, none of ye despoil 
Your happy beauty. Oh, ye palms ! which rise 
Eager to pierce the sky and drink the wind 
Blown from Malaya" and the cool blue seas. 
What secret know ye that ye grow content. 
From time of tender shoot to time of fruit, 
Murmuring such sun-songs from your feathered crowns ■ 
Ye, too, who dwell so merry in the trees — 
Quick-darting parrots, bee-birds, bulbuls, doves — 
None of ye hate your life, none of ye deem 
To strain to better by foregoing needs ! 



a iB( 



88 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

But man, who slays ye — being lord — is wise, 
And wisdom, nursed on blood, cometh thus forth 
In self-tormentings ! " 

While the Master spake 
Blew down the mount the dust of pattering feet. 
White goats and black sheep winding; slow their way, 
With many a lingering nibble at the tufts, 
And wanderings from the path, where water gleamed 
Or wild figs hung. But always as they strayed 
The herdsman cried, or slung his sling, and kept 
The silly crowd still moving to the plain. 
A ewe with couplets in the flock there was, 
Some hurt had lamed one lamb, which toiled behind 
Bleeding, while in the front its fellow skipped, 

And the vexed dam hither and thither ran. 

Fearful to lose this little one or that ; 

Which when our Lord did mark, full tenderly 

He took the limping lamb upon his neck, 

Saying, " Poor woolly mother, be at peace ! 

Whither thou goest I will bear thy care ; 

'Twere all as good to ease one beast of grief 

As sit and watch the sorrows of the world 

In yonder caverns with the priests who pray." 

" But," spake he to the herdsmen, " wherefore, friends 
Drive ye the flocks adown under high noon. 
Since 'tis at evening that men fold their sheep ? " 

And answer gave the peasants : " We are sent 
To fetch a sacrifice of goats five-score. 
And five-score sheep, the which our Lord the King 
Slayeth this night in worship of his gods." 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 89 

Then said the Master : " I will also go ! " 
So paced he patiently, bearing the lamb 
Beside the herdsmen in the dust and sun, 
The wistful ewe low bleating at his feet. 

Whom, when they came unto the river-side, 
A woman — dove-eyed, young, with tearful face 
And lifted hands — saluted, bending low : 
" Lord ! thou art he," she said, " who yesterday 
Had pity on me in the fig-grove here, 
Where I live lone and reared my child ; but he 
Straying amid the blossoms found a snake. 
Which twined about his wrist, whilst he did laugh 
And tease the quick forked tongue and opened mouth 
Of that cold playmate. But, alas ! ere long 
He turned so pale and still, I could not think 
Why he should cease to play, and let my breast 
Fall from his lips. And one said, * He is sick 
Of poison ; * and another, * He will die.' 
But I, who could not lose my precious boy, 
Prayed of them physic, which might bring the light 
Back to his eyes ; it was so very small 
That kiss-mark of the serpent, and I think 
It could not hate him, gracious as he was, 
Nor hurt him in his sport. And some one said, 
' There is a holy man upon the hill — 
Lo ! now he passeth in the yellow robe — 
Ask of the Rishi if there be a cure 
For that which ails thy son.* Whereon I came 
Trembling to thee, whose brow is like a god's. 
And wept and drew the face-cloth from my babe. 



90 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Praying thee tell what simples might be good. 
And thou, great sir ! didst spurn me not, but gaze 
With gentle eyes and touch with patient hand ; 
Then draw the face-cloth back, saying to me, 
' Yea ! little sister, there is that might heal 
Thee first, and him, if thou couldst fetch the thing ; 
'For they who seek physicians bring to them 
What is ordained. Therefore, I pray thee, find 
Black mustard-seed, a tola f^ only mark 
Thou take it not from any hand or house 
Where father, mother, child, or slave hath died ; 
It shall be well if thou canst find such seed.' 
Thus didst thou speak, my Lord ! " 

The Master smiled 
Exceeding tenderly. " Yea ! I spake thus, 
Dear Kisagotami ! But didst thou find 
The seed ? " 

" I went, Lord, clasping to my breast 
The babe, grown colder, asking at each hut — 
Here in the jungle and towards the town — 

* I pray you, give me mustard, of your grace, 
A tola — black ; * and each who had it gave, 
For all the poor are piteous to the poor ; 

But when I asked, ' In my friend's household here 

Hath any peradventure ever died — 

Husband, or wife, or child, or slave ? ' they said : 

* O Sister ! what is this you ask ? the dead 
Are very many, and the living few ! ' 

So with sad thanks I gave the mustard back, 
And prayed of others ; but the others said, 

* Here is the seed, but we have lost our slave ! * 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 9 1 

' Here is the seed, but our good man is dead ! * 
* Here is some seed, but he that sowed it died 
Between the rain-time and the harvesting ! ' 
Ah, sir ! I could not find a single house 
Where there was mustard-seed and none had died ! 
Therefore I left my child — who would not suck 
Nor smile — beneath the wild-vines by the stream, 
To seek thy face and kiss thy feet, and pray 
Where I might find this seed and find no death, 
If now, indeed, my baby be not dead, 
As I do fear, and as they said to me." 

" My sister ! thou hast found," the Master said, 
" Searching for what none finds — that bitter balm 
I had to give thee. He thou lovedst slept 
Dead on thy bosom yesterday : to-day 
Thou know'st the whole wide world weeps with thy woe : 
The grief which all hearts share grows less for one. 
Lo ! I would pour my blood if it could stay 
Thy tears and win the secret of that curse 
Which makes sweet love our anguish, and which drives 
O'er flowers and pastures to the sacrifice — 
As these dumb beasts are driven — men their lords. 
I seek that secret : bury thou thy child ! " 

So entered they the city side by side, 
The herdsman and the Prince, what time the sun 
Gilded slow Sona's distant stream,*^^ and threw 
Long shadows down the street and through the gate 
Where the King's men kept watch. But when these saw 
Our Lord bearing the lamb, the guards stood back, 



92 



THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 



The market-people drew their wains aside, 

In the bazar buyers and sellers stayed 

The war of tongues to gaze on that mild face ; 

The smith, with lifted hammer in his hand, 

Forgot to strike ; the weaver left his web, 

The scribe his scroll, the money-changer lost 

His count of cowries \^ from the unwatched rice 

Shiva's white bull fed free ;^^ the wasted milk 

Ran o'er the lota'^'* while the milkers watched 

The passage of our Lord moving so meek. 

With yet so beautiful a majesty. 

But most the women gathering in the doors 

Asked, " Who is this that brings the sacrifice 

So graceful and peace-giving as he goes ? 

What is his caste? whence hath he eyes so sweet ? 

Can he be Sakra'' or the Devaraj ? " '' 

And others said, " It is the holy man 

Who dwelleth with the Rishis on the hill." 

But the Lord paced, in meditation lost, 

Thinking, " Alas ! for all my sheep which have 

No shepherd ; wandering in the night with none 

To guide them ; bleating blindly towards the knife 

Of Death, as these dumb beasts which are their kin.'* 

Then some one told the King, " There cometh here 
A holy hermit, bringing down the flock 
Winch thou didst bid to crown the sacrifice." 



The King stood in his hall of offering. 
On either hand the white-robed Brahmins ranged 
Muttered their mantras," feeding still the fire 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 93 

Which roared upon the midmost altar. There 

From scented woods flickered bright tongues of flame, 

Hissing and curling as they licked the gifts 

Of ghee*^^ and spices and the Soma juice,^' 

The joy of Indra. Round about the pile 

A slow, thick, scarlet streamlet smoked and ran, 

Sucked by the sand, but ever rolling down. 

The blood of bleating victims. One such lay, 

A spotted goat, long-horned, its head bound back 

With munja grass ;^ at its stretched throat the knife 

Pressed by a priest, who murmured, " This, dread gods, 

Of many yajnas ^* cometh as the crown 

From Bimbsara :^*take ye joy to see 

The spirted blood, and pleasure in the scent 

Of rich flesh roasting 'mid the fragrant flames ; 

Let the King's sins be laid upon this goat, 

And let the fire consume them burning it, 

For now I strike." 

But Buddha softly said,^^ 
" Let him not strike, great King ! " and therewith loosed 
The victim's bonds, none staying him, so great 
His presence was. Then, craving leave, he spake 
Of life, which all can take but none can give. 
Life, which all creatures love and strive to keep, 
Wonderful, dear and pleasant unto each. 
Even to the meanest ; yea, a boon to all 
Where pity is, for pity makes the world 
Soft to the weak and noble for the strong. 
Unto the dumb lips of his flock he lent 
Sad pleading words, showing how man, who prays 
For mercy to the gods, is merciless. 



94 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Being as god to those ; albeit all life 

Is linked and kin, and what we slay have given 

Meek tribute of the milk and wool, and set 

Fast trust upon the hands which murder them. 

Also he spake of what the holy books 

Do surely teach, how that at death some sink 

To bird and beast, and these rise up to man 

In wanderings cf the spark which grows purged flame. 

So were the sacrifice new sin, if so 

The fated passage of a soul be stayed. 

Nor, spake he, shall one wash his spirit clean 

By blood ; nor gladden gods, being good, with blood ; 

Nor bribe them, being evil ; nay, nor lay 

Upon the brow of innocent bound beasts 

One hair's weight of that answer all must give 

For all things done amiss or wrongfully, 

Alone, each for himself, reckoning with that 

The fixed arithmic of the universe. 

Which meteth good for good and ill for ill, 

Measure for measure, unto deeds, words, thoughts ; 

Watchful, aware, implacable, unmoved ; 

Making all futures fruits of all the pasts. 

Thus spake he, breathing words so piteous 

With such high lordliness of ruth and right. 

The priests drew back their garments o'er the hands 

Crimsoned with slaughter, and the King came near, 

Standing with clasped palms reverencing Buddh ; 

While still our Lord went on, teaching how fair 

This earth were if all living things be linked 

In friendliness and common use of foods, 

Bloodless and pure ; the golden grain, bright fruits, 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 95 

Sweet herbs which grow for all, the waters wan, 

Sufficient drinks and meats. Which when these heard, 

The might of gentleness so conquered them, 

The priests themselves scattered their altar flames 

And flung away the steel of sacrifice ; 

And through the land next day passed a decree 

Proclaimed by criers, and in this wise graved 

On rock and column : " Thus the King's will is : — 

There hath been slaughter for the sacrifice 

And slaying for the meat, but henceforth none 

Shall spill the blood of life nor taste of flesh, 

Seeing that knowledge grows, and life is one, 

And mercy cometh to the merciful." 

So ran the edict, and from those days forth 

Sweet peace hath spread between all living kind, 

Man and the beasts which serve him,, and the biris, 

On all those banks of Gunga where our Lord 

Taught with his saintly pity and soft speech. 

For aye so piteous was the Master's heart 
To all that breathe this breath of fleeting life, 
Yoked in one fellowship of joys and pains, 
That it is written in the holy books 
How, in an ancient age — when Buddha wore 
A Brahmin's form, dwelling upon the rock 
Named Munda, by the village of Dalidd — 
Drought withered all the land : the young rice died 
Ere it could hide a quail ; in forest glades 
A fierce sun sucked the pools ; grasses and herbs 
Sickened, and all the woodland creatures fled 
Scattering for sustenance. At such a time, 



96 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Between the hot walls of a nullah, stretched 
On naked stones, our Lord spied, as he passed, 
A starvmg tigress. Hunger in her orbs 
Glared with green flame ; her dry tongue lolled a span 
Beyond the gasping jaws and shriveled jowl ; 
Her painted hide hung wrinkled on her ribs. 
As when between the rafters sinks a thatch 
Rotten with rains ; and at the poor lean dugs 
Two cubs, whining with famine, tugged and sucked, 
Mumbling those milkless teats which rendered nought. 
While she, their gaunt dam, licked full motherly 
The clamorous twins, yielding her flank to them 
With moaning throat, and love stronger than want, 
Softening the first of that wild cry wherewith 
She laid her famished muzzle to the sand 
And roared a savage thunder-peal of woe. 
I Seeing which bitter strait, and heeding nought 
i Save the immense compassion of a Buddh, 
' Our Lord bethought, " There is no other way 
• To help this murderess of the woods but one. 
j By sunset these will die, having no meat : 
There is no living heart will pity her, 
Bloody with ravin, lean for lack of blood. 
Lo ! if I feed her, who shall lose but I, 
And how can love lose doing of its kind 
Even to the uttermost ? " So saying, Buddh 
Silently laid aside sandals and staff, 
His sacred thread,^^ turban, and cloth, and came 
Forth from behind the milk-bush on the sand, 
Saying, " Ho ! mother, here is meat for thee ! " 
AVhereat the perishing beast yelped hoarse and si\ril], 



4- 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 97 

Sprang from her cubs, and, hurling to the earth 
That willing victim, had her feast of him 
With all the crooked daggers of her claws 
Rending his flesh, and all her yellow fangs 
Bathed in his blood : the great cat's burning breath 
Mixed with the last sigh of such fearless love. 

Thus large the Master's heart was long ago, 
Not only now, when with his gracious ruth 
He bade cease cruel worship of the Gcds. 
And much King Bimbsara prayed our Lord — 
Learning his royal birth and holy search — 
To tarry in that city, saying oft, 
" Thy princely state may not abide such fasts ; 
Thy hands were made for scepters, not for alms. 
Sojourn with me, who have no son to rule, 
And teach my kingdom wisdom, till I die, 
Lodged in my palace with* a beauteous bride." 
But ever spake Siddartha, of set mind, 
*' These things I had, most noble King, and left, 
Seeking the Truth ; which still I seek, and shall ; 
Not to be stayed though Sakra's^^ palace ope'd 
Its doors of pearl and Devis^® wooed me in. 
I go to build the Kingdom of the Law, 
Journeying to Gaya and the forest shades, 
Where, as I think, the light will come to me ; 
For nowise here among the Rishis comes 
That light, nor from the Shasters,^' nor from fasts 
Borne till the body faints, starved by the soul. 
Yet there is light to reach and truth to win ; 

4 



98 THE LIGHT OK ASIA. 

And surely, O true Friend, if I attain 
I will return and quit thy love." 

Thereat 
Thrice round the Prince King Bimbsara paced, 
Reverently bending to the Master's feet, 
And bade him speed. So passed our Lord away 
Towards Uravilva,^^ not yet comforted. 
And wan of face, and weak with six years' quest. 
But they upon the hill and in the grove — 
Alara, Udra, and the ascetics five — 
Had stayed him, saying all was written clear 
In holy Shasters, and that none might win 
Higher than SrutP^ and than Smriii'^^ — nay, 
Not the chief saints ! — for how should mortal man 
Be wiser than the Jnana-Kand,'*^ which tells 
How Brahm is bodiless and actionless, 
Passionless, calm, unqualified, unchanged. 
Pure life, pure thought, pure joy ? Or how should man 
Be better than the Karmma-Kand,*' which shows 
How he may strip passion and action off, 
Break from the bond of self, and so, unsphered, 
Be God, and melt into the vast divine, 
Flying from false to true, from wars of sense 
To peace eternal, where the silence lives t 

But the Prince heard them, not yet comforted. 



Bookt\)c Si^tl). 



Thou who wouldst see where dawned the light at last, 

North-westwards from the " Thousand Gardens " * go 

By Gunga's valley till thy steps be set 

On the green hills where those twin streamlets spring 

Nilajan and Mohana ; follow them, 

Winding beneath broad-leaved mahiia-trees,* 

'Mid thickets of the sansar^ and the blr/ 

Till on the plain the shining sisters meet 

In Phalgu's bed, flowing by rocky banks 

To Gaya and the red Barabar hills/ 

Hard by that river spreads a thorny waste, 

Uruwela named in ancient days, 

With sandhills broken ; on its verge a wood 

Waves sea-green plumes and tassels 'thwart the sky, 

With undergrowth wherethrough a still flood steals, 

Dappled with lotus-blossoms, blue and white, 

And peopled with quick fish and tortoises. 

Near it the village of Senani* reared 

Its roofs of grass, nestled amid the palms. 

Peaceful with simple folk and pastoral toils. 

There in the sylvan solitudes once more 
Lord Buddha lived, musing the woes of men, 

99 



lOO THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

The ways of fate, the doctrines of the books, 
The lessons of the creatures of the brake, 
The secrets of the silence whence all come, 
The secrets of the gloom whereto all go. 
The life which lies between, like that arch flung 
From cloud to cloud across the sky, which hath 
Mists for its masonry and vapory piers, 
Melting to void again which was so fair 
With sapphire hues, garnet, and chrysoprase. 
Moon after moon our Lord sate in the wood, 
So meditating these that he forgot 
Ofttimes the hour of food, rising from thoughts 
Prolonged beyond the sunrise and the noon 
To see his bowl unfilled, and eat perforce 
Of wild fruit fallen from the boughs o'erhead, 
Shaken to earth by chattering ape or plucked 
By purple paroquet. Therefore his grace 
Faded ; his body, worn by stress of soul, 
Lost day by day the marks, thirty and two,' 
Which testify the Buddha. Scarce that leaf, 
Fluttering so dry and withered to his feet 
From off the sal-branch,^ bore less likeliness 
Of spring's soft greenery than he of him 
Who was the princely flower of all his land. 

And once at such a time the o'erwrought Prince 
Fell to the earth in deadly swoon, all spent. 
Even as one slain, who hath no longer breath 
Nor any stir of blood ; so M^an he was. 
So motionless. But there came by that way 
A shepherd-boy, who saw Siddartha lie 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 

With lids fast-closed, and lines of nameless pain 

Fixed on his lips — the fiery noonday sun 

Beating upon his head — who, plucking boughs 

From wild rose-apple trees, knitted them thick 

Into a bower to shade the sacred face. 

Also he poured upon the Master's lips 

Drops of warm milk, pressed from his she-goat's bag, 

Lest, being of low caste, he do wrong to one 

So high and holy seeming. But the books 

Tell how the jambu-branches,^ planted thus, 

Shot with quick life in wealth of leaf and flow^er 

And glowing fruitage interlaced and close, 

So that the bower grew like a tent of silk 

Pitched for a king at hunting, decked with studs 

Of silver-work and bosses of red gold 

And the boy worshiped, deeming him some God ; 

But our Lord gaining breath, arose and asked 

Milk in the shepherd's lota.^° " Ah, my Lord, 

I cannot give thee," quoth the lad ; " thou seest 

I am a Sudra, and my touch defiles ! " " 

Then the World-honored spake : " Pity and need 

Make all flesh kin. There is no caste in blood. 

Which runneth of one hue, nor caste in tears. 

Which trickle salt with all ; neither comes man 

To birth with tilka-mark^'"^ stamped on the brow, 

Nor sacred thread on neck. Who doth right deeds 

Is twice-born, and who doeth ill deeds vile. 

Give me to drink, my brother ; when I come 

Unto my quest it shall be good for thee." 

Thereat the peasant's heart was glad, and gave. 



102 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And on another day there passed that road 
A band of tinseled girls, the nautch-dancers 
Of India's temple^^ in the town, with those 
Who made their music — one that beat a drum 
Set round with peacock-feathers, one that blew 
The piping bansuli,'^ and one that twitched 
A three-string sitar.^^ Lightly tripped they down 
From ledge to ledge and through the chequered paths 
To some gay festival, the silver bells 
Chiming soft peals about the small brown feet, 
Armlets and wrist-rings tattling answer shrill ; 
While he that bore the sitar thrummed and twanged 
His threads of brass, and she beside him sang — 

" Fair goes the dancing whe7i the sitar* s tuned ; 
Tu7ie us the sitar neither low nor highy 
And we will dance away the hearts of men. 

The string o^ er stretched breaks^ and the music flies ; 
The string oer slack is dumhy and mtisic dies ; 
Tune us the sitar neither low ?ior high.^* 

So sang the nautch-girl to the pipe and wires, 
Fluttering like some vain, painted butterfly 
From glade to glade along the forest path. 
Nor dreamed her light words echoed on the ear 
Of him, that holy man, who sate so rapt 
Under the fig-tree by the path. But Buddh 
Lifted his great brow as the wantons passed. 
And spake : " The foolish ofttimes teach the wise ; 
I strain too much this string of life, bejike, 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 

Meaning to make such music as shall save. 
Mine eyes are dim now that they see the truth, 
My strength is waned now that my need is most ; 
Would that I had such help as man must have, 
For I shall die, whose life was all men's hope.'* 

Now, by that river dwelt a landholder 
Pious and rich, master of many herds, 
A goodly chief, the friend of all the poor ; 
And from his house the village drew its name — - 
*' Senani."i6 Pleasant and in peace he lived, 
Having for wife Sujata,^^ loveliest 
Of all the dark-eyed daughters of the plain ; 
Gentle and true, simple and kind was she, 
Noble of mien, with gracious speech to all 
And gladsome looks — a pearl of womanhood — 
Passing calm years of household happiness 
Beside her lord in that still Indian home, 
Save that no male child blessed their wedded love. 
Wherefore with many prayers she had besought^*^ 
Lakshmi ;^^ and many nights at full-moon gone 
Round the great Lingam,^*^ nine times nine, with gifts 
Of rice and jasmine wreaths and sandal oil, 
Praying a boy ; also Sujata vowed — 
If this should be — an offering of food 
Unto the Wood-God, plenteous, delicate, 
Set in a bowl of gold under his tree, 
Such as the lips of Dcvs^^ may taste and take. 
And this had been : for there was born to her 
A beauteous boy, now three months old, who lay 
Between Sujdta's breasts, while she did pace 



104 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

With grateful footsteps to the Wood-God's shrine, 
One arm clasping her crimson sari^^ close 
To wrap the babe, that jewel of her joys, 
The other lifted high in comely curve 
To steady on her head the bowl and dish 
Which held the dainty victuals for the God. 

But Radha, sent before to sweep the ground 
And tie the scarlet threads around the tree,'-^^ 
Came eager, crying, "Ah, dear Mistress ! look ! 
There is the Wood-God sitting in his place, 
Revealed, with folded hands upon his knees. 
See how the light shines round about his brow ! 
How mild and great he seems, Vt^ith heavenly eyes I 
Good fortune is it thus to meet the gods." 

So — thinking him divine, — Sujdta drew 
Tremblingly nigh, and kissed the earth and said. 
With sweet face bent, " Would that the Holy One 
Inhabiting this grove. Giver of good 
Merciful unto me his handmaiden 
Vouchsafing nov/ his presence, might accept 
These our poor gifts of snowy curds, fresh-made. 
With milk as white as new-carved ivory ! " 

Therewith into the golden bowl she poured 
The curds and milk, and on the hands of Buddh 
Dropped attar from a crystal flask — distilled 
Out of the hearts of roses : and he ate. 
Speaking no word, while the glad mother stood 
III reverence apart. But of that meal 



BOOK THE SIXTH. lO- 

So wondrous was the virtue that our Lord 
Felt strength and life return as though the nights 
Of watching and the days of fast had passed 
In dream, as though the spirit with the flesh 
Shared that fine meat and plumed its wings anew, 
Like some delighted bird at sudden streams 
Weary with flight o'er endless wastes of sand, 
Which laves the desert dust from neck and crest. 
And more Sujata worshiped, seeing our Lord 
Grow fairer and his countenance more bright : 
" Art thou indeed the God ? " she lowly asked, 
" And hath my gift found favor ? " 

But Buddh said, 
" What is it thou dost bring me ? " 

" Holy one ! " 
Answered Sujdta, " from our droves I took 
Milk of a hundred mothers, newly-calved, 
And with that milk I fed fifty white cows, 
And with their milk twenty and five, and then 
With theirs twelve more, and yet again with theirs 
The six noblest and best of all our herds. 
That yield I boiled with sandal and fine spice 
In silver lotas,^* adding rice, well grown 
From chosen seed, set in new-broken ground, 
So picked that every grain was like a pearl. 
This did I of true heart, because I vowed 
Under thy tree, if I should bear a boy 
I would make offering for my joy, and now 
I have my son and all my life is bliss ! " 

Softly our Lord drew down the crimson fold, 
And, laying on the little head those hands 



Io6 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Which help the worlds, he said, " Long be thy bliss ! 

And lightly fall on him the load of life ! 

For thou hast holpen me who am no God, 

But one, thy Brother ; heretofore a Prince 

And now a wanderer, seeking night and day 

These six hard years that light which somewhere shines 

To lighten all men's darkness, if they knew ! 

And I shall find the light ; yea, now it dawned 

Glorious and helpful, when my weak flesh failed 

Which this pure food, fair Sister, hath restored, 

Drawn manifold through lives to quicken life 

As life itself passes by many births 

To happier heights and purging off of sins. 

Yet dost thou truly find it sweet enough 

Only to live ? Can life and love suffice ? ** 

Answered Sujdta, " Worshipful ! my heart 
ts little, and a little rain will fill 
The lily's cup which hardly moists the field. 
It is enough for me to feel life's sun 
Shine in my Lord's grace and my baby's smile, 
Making the loving summer of our home. 
Pleasant my days pass filled with household cares 
From sunrise when I wake to praise the gods, 
And give forth grain, and trim the tulsi-plant,^^ 
And set my handmaids to their tasks, till noon. 
When my Lord lays his head upon my lap 
Lulled by soft songs and wavings of the fan ; 
And so to supper-time at quiet eve, 
Wlien by his side I stand and serve the cakes.^ 
Then the stars light their silver lamps for sleep, 



BOOK THE SIXTH. I07 

After the temple and the talk with friends. 

How should I not be happy, blest so much, 

And bearing him this boy whose tiny hand 

Shall lead his soul to Swerga,'^^ if it need ? 

For holy books teach when a man shall plant 

Trees for the travelers' shade, and dig a well 

For the folks' comfort, and beget a son. 

It sliall be good for such after their death ; 

And what the books say that I humbly take, 

Being not wiser than those great of old 

Who spake with gods, and knew the hymns and charms, 

And all the ways of virtue and of peace. 

Also I think that good must come of good 

And ill of evil — surely — unto all — 

In every place and time — seeing sweet fruit 

Groweth from wholesome roots, and bitter things 

From poison-stocks ; yea, seeing, too, how spite 

Breeds hate, and kindness friends, and patience peace 

Even while we live ; and when 'tis willed we die 

Shall there not be as good a * Then ' as ' Now ? ' 

Haply much better ; since one grain of rice 

Shoots a green feather gemmed with fifty pearls, 

And all the starry champak's^^ white and gold 

Lurks in those little, naked, gray spring-buds. 

Ah, Sir ! I know there might be woes to bear 

Would lay fond Patience with her face in dust ; 

If this my babe pass first I think my heart 

Would break — almost I hope my heart would break ! 

That I might clasp him dead and wait my Lord — 

In whatsoever world holds faithful wives — 

Duteous, attending till his hour should come. 



Io8 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

But if Death called Senani, I should mount 

The pile and lay that dear head in my lap,^' 

My daily way, rejoicing when the torch 

Lit the quick flame and rolled the choking smoke. 

For it is written if an Indian wife 

Die so, her love shall give her husband's soul 

For every hair upon her head a cror^° 

Of years in Swerga. Therefore fear I not. 

And therefore. Holy Sir ! my life is glad, 

Nowise forgetting yet those other lives 

Painful and poor, wicked and miserable, 

Whereon the gods grant pity ! but for m'^* 

What good I see humbly I seek to do, 

And live obedient to the law, in trust 

That what will come, and must come, shall come well.' 

Then spake our Lord, " Thou teachest them who teach, 
Wiser than wisdom in thy simple lore. 
Be thou content to know not, knowing thus 
The way of right and duty : grow, thou flower ! 
With thy sweet kind in peaceful shade — the light 
Of Truth's high noon is not for tender leaves 
Which must spread broad in other suns and lift 
In later lives a crowned head to the sky. 
Thou who hast worshiped me, I worship thee I 
Excellent heart ! learned unknowingly, 
As the dove is which flieth home by love. 
In thee is seen why there is hope for man 
And where we hold the wheel of life at will. 
Peace go with thee, and comfort all thy days ! 
As thou accomplishest, may I achieve ! 
He whom thou thoiiQ:hlest God bids thee wish this.** 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 

" May'st thou achieve," she said, with earnest eyes 
Bent on her babe, who reached its tender hands 
To Buddh — knowing, belike, as children know. 
More than we deem, and reverencing our Lord ; 
But he arose — made strong with that pure meat — 
And bent his footsteps where a great Tree grew, 
The Bodhi-tree^' (thenceforward in all years 
Never to fade, and ever to be kept 
In homage of the world), beneath whose leaves 
It was ordained that Truth should come to Buddh : 
AVhich now the Master knew ; wherefore he went 
With measured pace, steadfast, majestical. 
Unto the Tree of Wisdom. Oh, ye Worlds ! 
Rejoice ! our Lord wended unto the Tree ! 

Whom — as he passed into its ample shade, 
Cloistered with columned dropping stems, and roofed 
With vaults of glistening green — the conscious earth 
Worshiped with waving grass and sudden flush 
Of flowers about his feet. The forest-boughs 
Bent down to shade him ; from the river sighed 
Cool wafts of wind laden with lotus-scents 
Breathed by the water-gods. Large wondering eyes 
Of woodland creatures — panther, boar, and deer — 
At peace that eve, gazed on his face benign 
From cave and thicket. From its cold cleft wound 
The mottled deadly snake, dancing its hood 
In honor of our Lord ; bright butterflies 
Fluttered their vans, azure and green and gold. 
To be his fan-bearers ; the fierce kite dropped 
Its prey and screamed ; the striped palm-squirrel raced 



109 




no THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

From stem to stem to see ; the weaver-bird 
Chirped from her swinging nest ; the lizard ran ; 
The koiP sang her hymn ; the doves flocked round ; 
Even the creeping things were 'ware and glad. 
Voices of earth and air joined in one song,^^ 
Which unto ears that hear said, " Lord and Friend ! 
Lover and Savior ! Thou who hast subdued 
Angers and prides, desires and fears and doubts, 
Thou that for each and all hast given thyself, 
Pass to the Tree ! The sad world blesseth thee 
Who art the Buddh that shall assuage her woes. 
Pass, Hailed and Honored ! strive thy last for us. 
King and high Conqueror ! thine hour is come ; 
This is the Night the ages waited for ! " 

Then fell the night even as our Master sate 
Under that Tree. But he who is tlie Prince 
Of Darkness, Mara^ — knowing this was Buddh 
Who should deliver men, and now the hour 
When he should find the Truth and save the worlds- 
Gave unto all his evil powers command. 
Wherefore there trooped from every deepest pit 
The fiends who war with Wisdom and the Light, 
Arati,'^* Trishna,^® Raga,^^ and their crew 
Of passions, horrors, ignorances, lusts, 
The brood of gloom and dread ; all hating Buddh, 
Seeking to shake his mind ; nor knoweth one. 
Not even the wisest, how those fiends of Hell 
Battled that night to keep the Truth from Buddh : 
Sometimes with terrors of the tempest, blasts 
Of demon-armies clouding all the wind, 



T" 



BOOK THE SIXTH. Ill 

With thunder, and with blinding lightning flung 
In jagged javelins of purple wrath 
From splitting skies ; sometimes with wiles and words 
Fair-sounding, 'mid hushed leaves and softened airs 
From shapes of witching beauty; wanton songs, 
Whispers of love ; sometimes with royal allures 
Of proffered rule ; sometimes with mocking doubts, 
Making truth vain. But whether these befell 
AVithout and visible, or whether Buddh 
Strove with fell spirits in his inmost heart, 
Judge ye :— I write what ancient books have writ. 

The ten chief Sins came — Mara's mighty ones, 
Angels of evil — Attavada first. 
The Sin of Self, who in the Universe 
As in a mirror sees her fond face shown, 
And crying " I " would have the world say *' I," 
And all things perish so if she endure. 
" If thou be'st Buddh," she said, " let others grope 
Lightless ; it is enough that thou art Thou 
Changelessly ; rise and take the bliss of gods 
AVho change not, heed not, strive not." But Buddh spake. 
" The right in thee is base, the wrong a curse ; 
Cheat such as love themselves." Then came v/an Doubt,, 
He that denies — the mocking Sin — and this 
Hissed in the Master's ear, " All things are shows, 
And vain the knowledge of their vanity ; 
Thou dost but chase the shadow of thyself ; 
Rise and go hence, there is no better way 
Than patient scorn, nor any help for man. 
Nor any staying of his whirling wheel." 



112 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

But qnoth our Lord, " Thou hast no part with me, 

False Visikitcha, subtlest of man's foes." 

And third came she who gives dark creeds their power, 

Silabbat-paramasa, sorceress, 

Draped fair in many lands as lowly Faith, 

But ever juggling souls with rites and prayers ; 

The keeper of those keys which lock up Hells 

And open Heavens. " Wilt thou dare," she said, 

" Put by our sacred books, dethrone our gods. 

Unpeople all the temples, shaking down 

That law which feeds the priests and props the realms ? 

But Buddha answered, " What thou bidd'st me keen 

Is form which passes, but the free Truth stands ; 

Get thee unto thy darkness." Next there drew 

Gallantly nigh a braver Tempter, he, 

Kama,^^ the King of passions, who hath sway 

Over the gods themselves. Lord of all loves, 

Ruler of Pleasure's realm. Laughing he came 

Unto the Tree, bearing his bow of gold 

AVreathed with red blooms, and arrows of desire 

Pointed with five-tongued delicate flame which stings 

The heart it smites sharper than poisoned barb : 

And round him came into that lonely place 

Bands of bright shapes with heavenly eyes and lips 

Singing in lovely words the praise of Love 

To music of invisible sweet cords. 

So witching, that it seemed the night stood still 

To hear them, and the listening stars and moon 

Paused in their orbits while these hymned to Buddh 

Of lost delights, and how a mortal man 

Findeth nought dearer in the three wide worlds 



BOOK THE SIXTH. II3 

Than are the yielded loving fragrant breasts 

Of Beauty and the rosy breast-blossoms, 

Love's rubies ; nay, and toucheth nought more high 

Than is that dulcet harmony of form 

Seen in the lines and charms of loveliness 

Unspeakable, yet speaking, soul to soul. 

Owned by the bounding blood, worshiped by will 

Which leaps to seize it, knowing this is best, 

This the true ^eaven where mortals are like gods, 

Makers and Masters, this the gift of gifts 

Ever renewed and worth a thousand woes. 

For who hath grieved when soft arms shut him safe, 

And all life melted to a happy sigh, 

And all the world was given in one warm kiss ? 

So sang they with soft float of beckoning hands, 

Eyes lighted with love-flames, alluring smiles ; 

In dainty dance their supple sides and limbs 

Revealing and concealing like burst buds 

Which tell their color, but hide yet their hearts. 

Never so matchless grace delighted eye 

As troop by troop these midnight-dancers swept 

Nearer the Tree, each daintier than the last, 

Murmuring " O great Siddartha ! I am thine, 

Taste of my mouth and see if youth is sweet ! " ' 

Also, when nothing moved our Master's mind, 

Lo ! Kama waved his magic bow, and lo ! 

The band of dancers opened, and a shape 

Fairest and stateliest of the throng came forth 

Wearing the guise of sweet Yasbdhara. 

Tender the passion of those dark eyes seemed 

Brimming with tears ; yearning' those outspread arms 



114 "^^^ LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Opened towards him ; musical that moan 

Wherewith the beauteous shadow named his name, 

Sighing " My Prince ! I die for lack of thee ! 

What heaven hast thou found like that we knew 

By bright Rohini in the Pleasure-house, 

Where all these weary years I weep for thee ? 

Return, Siddartha ! ah ! return. But touch 

My lips again, but let me to thy breast 

Once, and these fruitless dreams will end ! Ah, look ! 

Am I not she thou lovedst ? " But Buddh said, 

" For that sweet sake of her thou playest thus, 

Fair and false Shadow ! is thy playing vain ; 

I curse thee not who wear'st a form so dear. 

Yet as thou art so are all earthly shows. 

Melt to thy void again ! " Thereat a cry 

Thrilled through the grove, and all that comely rout 

Faded with flickering wafts of flame, and trail 

Of vaporous robes. 

Next under darkening skies 
And noise of rising storm came fiercer Sins, 
The rearmost of the Ten ; Patigha — Hate — 
With serpents coiled about her waist, which suck 
Poisonous milk from both her hanging dugs, 
And with her curses mix their angry hiss. 
Little wrought she upon that Holy One 
Who with his calm eyes dumbed her bitter lips 
And made her black snakes writhe to hide their fangs. 
Then followed Ruparaga — Lust of days — 
That sensual Sin which out of greed for life 
Forgets to live ; and next him Lust of Fame^ 
Nobler Aruparaga, she whose spell 



BOOK THE SIXTH. II5 

Beguiles the wise, mother of daring deeds, 

Battles and toils. And haughty Mano came, 

The Fiend of Pride ; and smooth Self-Righteousness, 

Uddhachcha ; and — with many a hideous band 

Of vile and formless things, which crept and flapped 

Toad-like and bat-like — Ignorance, the Dam 

Of Fear and Wrong, Avidya, hideous hag, 

Whose footsteps left the midnight darker, while 

The rooted mountains shook, the wild winds howled, 

The broken clouds shed from their caverns streams 

Of levin-lighted rain ; stars shot from heaven. 

The solid earth shuddered as if one laid 

Flam.e to her gaping wounds ; the torn black air 

Was full of whistling winds, of screams and yells, 

Of evil faces peering, of vast fronts 

Terrible and majestic. Lords of Hell 

Who from a thousand I/imbos led their troops 

To tempt the Master. 

But Buddh heeded not. 
Sitting serene, with perfect virtue walled 
As is a stronghold by its gates and ramps ; 
Also the Sacred Tree — the Bodhi-tree — 
Amid that tumult stirred not, but each leaf 
Glistened as still as when on moonlit eves 
No zephyr spills the glittering gems of dew ; 
For all this clamor raged outside the shade 
Spread by those cloistered stems : 

In the third watch, 
The earth being still, the hellish legions fled, 
A soft air breathing from the sinking moon. 
Our Lord attained Samma Sambuddh; ^^ he saw 



Il6 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

By light which shines beyond our mortal ken 

The line of all his lives in all the worlds, 

Far back and farther back and farthest yet, 

Five hundred lives and fifty. Even as one, 

At rest upon a mountain-summit, marks 

His path wind up by precipice and crag, 

Past thick-set woods shrunk to a patch ; through bogs 

Glittering false-green ; down hollows where he toiled 

Breathless ; on dizzy ridges where his feet 

Had well-nigh slipped ; beyond the sunny lawns, 

The cataract and the cavern and the pool, 

Backward to those dim flats wherefrom he sprang 

To reach the blue ; thus Buddha did behold 

Life's upward steps long-linked, from levels low 

Where breath is base, to higher slopes and higher 

Whereon the ten great Virtues^*' wait to lead 

The climber skyward. Also, Buddha saw 

How new life reaps what the old life did sow : 

How where its march breaks off its march begins ; 

Holding the gain and answering for the loss ; 

And how in each life good begets more good, 

Evil fresh evil ; Death but casting up 

Debit or credit, whereupon th* account 

In merits or demerits stamps itself 

By sure arithmic — where no tittle drops — 

Certain and just, on some new-springing life ; 

Wherein are packed and scored past thoughts and deeds. 

Strivings and triumphs, memories and marks 

Of lives foregone : 

And in the middle watch 
Our Lord attained Abhidjna^^ — insight vast 



BOOK THE SIXTH. II7 

Ranging beyond this sphere to spheres unnamed, 

System on system, countless worlds and suns 

Moving in splendid measures, band by band 

Linked in division, one yet separate, 

The silver islands of a sapphire sea 

Shoreless, unfathomed, undiminished, stirred 

With waves which roll in restless tides of change. 

He saw those Lords of Light who hold their worlds 

By bonds invisible, how they themselves 

Circle obedient round mightier orbs 

Which serve profounder splendors, star to star 

Flashing the ceaseless radiance of life 

From centers ever shifting unto cirques 

Knowing no uttermost. These he beheld 

With unsealed vision, and of all those worlds. 

Cycle on epicycle, all their tale 

Of Kalpas, Maha-kalpas^^ — terms of time 

Which no man grasps, yea, though he knew to count 

The drops in Gunga from her springs to the sea, 

Measureless unto speech — whereby these wax 

And wane ; whereby each of this heavenly host 

Fulfills its shining life and darkling dies. 

Sakwal by Sakwal,^^ depths and heights he passed 

Transported through the blue infinitudes, 

Marking — behind all modes, above all spheres, 

Beyond the burning impulse of each orb — 

That fixed decree at silent work which wills 

E^'-olve the dark to light, the dead to life, 

To fullness void, to form the yet unformed, 

Good unto better, better unto best, 

By wordless edict ; having none to bid, 



m^ 



Il8 THE LIGHT OF ASIA, 

None to forbid ; for this is past all gods 

Immutable, unspeakable, supreme, 

A Power which builds, unbuilds, and builds again, 

Ruling all things accordant to the rule 

Of virtue, which is beauty, truth, and use. 

So that all things do well which serve the Power, 

And ill which hinder ; nay, the worm does well 

Obedient to its kind ; the hawk does well 

Which carries bleeding quarries to its young ; 

The dewdrop and the star shine sisterly, 

Globing together in the common work ; 

And man who lives to die, dies to live well 

So if he guide his ways by blamelessness 

And earnest will to hinder not but help 

All things both great and small which suffer life. 

These did our Lord see in the middle watch. 

But when the fourth watch came the secret came 
Of Sorrow, which with evil mars the law, 
As damp and dross hold back the goldsmith's fire. 
Then was the Dukha-satya"" opened him 
First of the " Noble Truths ; '"' how Sorrow is 
Shadow to life, moving where life doth move ; 
Not to be laid aside until one lays 
Living aside, with all its changing states, 
Birth, growth, decay, love, hatred, pleasure, pain, 
Being and doing. How that none strips off 
These sad delights and pleasant griefs who lacks 
Knowledge to know them snares ; but he who knows 
Avidya — Delusion — sets those snares, 
Loves life no longer but ensues escape. 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 



119 



The eyes of such a one are wide, he sees 

Delusion breeds Sankhara, Tendency 

Perverse : Tendency Energy — Vidnndn — 

Whereby comes Namanipa, local form 

And name and bodiment, bringing the man 

With senses naked to the sensible, 

A helpless mirror of all shows which pass 

Across his heart ; and so Vedana grows — 

" Sense-life " — false in its gladness, fell in sadness, 

But sad or glad, the Mother of Desire, 

Trishna, that thirst which makes the living drink 

Deeper and deeper of the false salt waves 

Whereon they float, pleasures, ambitions, wealth, 

Praise, fame, or domination, conquest, love ; 

Rich meats and robes, and fair abodes, and pride 

Of ancient lines, and lust of days, and strife 

To live, and sins that flow from strife, some sweet, 

Some bitter. Thus Life's thirst quenches itself 

With draughts which double thirst, but who is wise 

Tears from his soul this Trishnd, feeds his sense 

No longer on false shows, files his firm mind 

To seek not, strive not, wrong not ; bearing meek 

All ills which flow from foregone wrongfulness. 

And so constraining passions that they die 

Famished ; till all the sum of ended life — 

The Kar7nd'^^ — all that total of a soul 

Which is the things it did, the thoughts it had. 

The " Self " it wove — with woof of viewless time, 

Crossed on the warp invisible of acts — 

The outcome of him on the Universe, 

Grows pure and sinless ; either never more 



120 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Needing to find a body and a place, 

Or so informing what fresh frame it takes 

In new existence that the new toils prove 

Lighter and lighter not to be at all, 

Thus " finishing the Path ; " free from Earth's cheats ; 

Released from all the skandhas ^^ of the flesh ; 

Broken from ties — from Upadans^^ — saved 

From whirling on the wheel ; aroused and sane 

As is a man wakened from hateful dreams. 

Until — greater than Kings, than Gods more glad ! — 

The aching craze to live ends, and life glides — 

Lifeless — to nameless quiet, nameless joy, 

Blessed nirvana"' — sinless, stirless rest — 

That change which never changes ! 

Lo ! the Dawn 
Sprang with Buddh's Victory ! lo ! in the East 
Flamed the first fires of beauteous day, poured forth 
Through fleeting folds of Night's black drapery. 
High in the widening blue the herald-star 
Faded to paler silver as there shot 
Brighter and brightest bars of rosy gleam 
Across the gray. Far off the shadowy hills 
Saw the great Sun, before the world was 'ware, 
And donned their crowns of crimson ; flower by flower 
Felt the warm breath of Morn and 'gan t' unfold 
Their tender lids. Over the spangled grass 
Swept the swift footsteps of the lovely Light, 
Turning the tears of Night to joyous gems, 
Decking the earth with radiance, 'broidering 
The sinking storm-clouds with a golden fringe, 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 121 

Gilding the feathers of the palms, which waved 

Glad salutation ; darting beams of gold 

Into the glades ; touching with magic wand 

The stream to rippled ruby ; in the brake 

Finding the mild eyes of the antelopes 

And saying *' it is day ; " in nested sleep 

Touching the small heads under many a wing 

And whispering, "Children, praise the light of day ! " 

Whereat there piped anthems of all the birds. 

The Koil's'^ fluted song, the Bulbul's'' hymn. 

The " morning, morning " of the painted thrush. 

The twitter of the sun-birds starting forth 

To find the honey ere the bees be out. 

The gray crow's caw, the parrot's scream, the strokes 

Of the green hammersmith, the myna's^^ chirp, 

The never finished love-talk of the doves : 

Yea ! and so holy was the influence 

Of that high Dawn which came with victory 

That, far and near, in homes of men there spread 

An unknown peace. The slayer hid his knife ; 

The robber laid his plunder back ; the shroff 

Counted full tale of coins ; all evil hearts 

Grew gentle, kind hearts gentler, as the balm 

Of that divinest Daybreak lightened Earth. 

Kings at fierce war called truce ; the sick men leaped 

Laughing from beds of pain ; the dying smiled 

As though they knew that happy Morn was sprung 

From fountains farther than the utmost East ; 

And o'er the heart of sad Yasbdhara, 

Sitting forlorn at Prince Siddartha's bed. 

Came sudden bliss, as if love should not fail 



122 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Nor such vast sorrow miss to end in joy. 
So glad the World was — though it wist not why — 
That over desolate wastes went swooning songs 
Of mirth, the voice of bodiless Prets^^ and Bhiits" 
Foreseeing Buddh ; and Devas in the air 
Cried " It is finished, finished ! " and the priests 
Stood with the wondering people in the streets 
Watching those golden splendors flood the sky 
And saying " There hath happed some mighty thing." 
Also in Ran^^ and Jungle^^ grew that day 
Friendship amongst the creatures ; spotted deer 
Browsed fearless where the tigress fed her cubs, 
And cheetahs" lapped the pool beside the buck?* * 
Under the eagle's rock the brown hares scoured 
While his fierce beak but preened an idle wing ; 
The snake sunned all his jewels in the beam 
With deadly fangs in sheath ; the shrike let pass 
The nestling-finch ; the emerald halcyons 
Sate dreaming while the fishes played beneath, 
Nor hawked the merops, though the butterflies — 
Crimson and blue and amber — flitted thick 
Around his perch ; the Spirit of our Lord 
Lay potent upon man and bird and beast, 
Even while he mused under that Bodhl-tree,^ 
Glorified with the Conquest gained for all 
And lightened by a Light greater than Day's. 

Then ne arose — radiant, rejoicing, strong — 
Beneath the Tree, and lifting high his voice 
Spake this, in hearing of all Times and Worlds : — 



BOOK THE SIXTH. 1 23 

An^kajdlisangsdrang 
Sandhdwissang anibhisang 
Gahakdrakajigawesanto 
Dukkhdjdtipunappunang. 

Gahakdrakadithosi j 
Puiiagehang nakdhasi ; 
Sabhdtephdsiikhdbhaggd^ 
Gahakutangwisang khitang ; 
Wisaiigkhdragatang c/iitfa?tg ; 
Janhdnangkhayainajhagd. 

Many a House of Life 
Hath held me — seeking ever him who wrought 
These prisons of the senses, sorrow- fraught ; 

Sore was my ceaseless strife ! 

But now, 
Thou Builder of this Tabernacle — Thou ! 
I KNOW Thee ! Never shalt thou build again 

These walls of pain, 
Nor raise the roof-tree of deceits, nor lay 

Fresh rafters on the clay ; 
Broken thy house is, and the ridge-pole split ! 

Delusion fashioned it ! 
Safe pass I thence — deliverance to obtain.^'' 



Book tlje geoentl). 



Sorrowful dwelt the King Suddhodana 
All those long years among the Sakya Lords 
Lacking the speech and presence of his Son ; 
Sorrowful sate the sweet Yas5dhara 
All those long years, knowing no joy of life, 
Widowed of him her living Liege and Prince 
And ever, on the news of some recluse 
Seen far away by pasturing camel-men 
Or traders treading devious paths for gain, 
Messengers from the King had gone and come 
Bringing account of many a holy sage 
Lonely and lost to home ; but nought of him 
The crown of white Kapilavastu's line. 
The glory of her monarch and his hope, 
The heart's content of sweet Yasodhara, 
Far-wandered now, forgetful, changed, or dead. 

But on a day in the Wasanta-time,' 

When silver sprays swing on the mango-trees 

And all the earth is clad with garb of spring, 

The Princess sate by that bright garden-stream 

Whose gliding glass, bordered with lotus-cups, 

124 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. 1 25 

Mirrored so often in the bliss gone by 

Their clinging hands and meeting lips. Her lids 

Were wan with tears, her tender cheeks had thinned ; • 

Her lips* delicious curves were drawn with grief ; 

The lustrous glory of her hair was hid — 

Close-bound as widows use ; no ornament 

She wore, nor any jewel clasped the cloth — 

Coarse, and of mourning- white — crossed on her breast. 

Slow moved and painfully those small fine feet 

Which had the roe's gait and the rose-leaf's fall 

In old years at the loving voice of him. 

Her eyes, those lamps of love, — which were as if 

Sunlight should shine from out the deepest dark, 

Illumining Night's peace with Daytime's glow — 

Unlighted now, and roving aimlessly, 

Scarce marked the clustering signs of coming Spring 

So the silk lashes drooped over their orbs. 

In one hand was a girdle thick with pearls, 

Siddartha's — treasured since that night he fled — 

(Ah, bitter Night ! mother of weeping days ! 

When was fond Love so pitiless to love 

Save that this scorned to limit love by life ?) 

The other led her little son, a boy 

Divinely fair, the pledge Siddartha left — 

Named Rahula — j^ow seven years old, who tripped 

Gladsome beside his mother, light of heart 

To see the spring-blooms burgeon o'er the world. 

So while they lingered by the lotus-pools 
And, lightly laughing, Rahula flung rice 
To feed the blue and purple fish ; and she 



126 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

With sad eyes watched the swiftly-flying cranes, 

Sighing, " Oh ! creatures of the wandering win^, 

If ye shall light where my dear Lord is hid, 

Say that Yasodhara lives nigh to death 

For one word of his mouth, one touch of him ! " — 

So, as they played and sighed — motlier and child — 

Came some among the damsels of the Court 

Saying, " Great Princess ! there have entered in 

At the south gate merchants of Hastinpiir^ 

Tripusha called and Bhalluk, men of worth. 

Long traveled from the loud sea's edge, who bring 

Mavelous lovely webs pictured with gold. 

Waved blades of gilded steel, wrought bowls in brass, 

Cut ivories, spice, simples, and unknown birds. 

Treasures of far-off peoples ; but they bring 

That which doth beggar these, for He is seen ! 

Thy Lord, — our Lord, — the hope of all the land — 

Siddartha ! they have seen him face to face, 

Yea, and have worshiped him with knees and brows, 

And offered offerings ; for he is become 

All which was shown, a teacher of the wise. 

World-honored, holy, wonderful ; a Buddh 

Who doth deliver men and save all flesh 

By sweetest speech and pity vast as Heaven : 

And, lo ! he journeyeth hither these do say." 

Then — while the glad blood bounded in her veins 
As Gunga leaps when first the mountain snows 
Melt at her springs — uprose Yas6dhara 
And clapped her palms, and laughed, with brimm 
tears 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. I27 

Beading her lashes. "Oh ! call quick," she cried, 
" These merchants to my purdah,^ for mine ears 
Thirst like parched throats to drink their blessed news. 
Go bring them in, — but if their tale be true, 
Say I will fill their girdles with much gold, 
With gems that Kings shall envy : come ye too, 
My girls, for ye shall have guerdon of this 
If t>fire be gifts to speak my grateful heart." 

So went those merchants to the Pleasure-House, 
Full softly pacing through its golden ways 
With naked feet,"^ amid the peering maids. 
Much wondering at the glories of the Court. 
Whom, when they came without the purdah's folds,^ 
A voice, tender and eager, filled and charmed 
With trembling music, saying, " Ye are come 
From far, fair Sirs ! and ye have seen my Lord — 
Yea, worshiped — for he is become a Buddh, 
World-honored, holy, and delivers men, 
And journeyeth hither. Speak ! for, if this be. 
Friends are ye of my House, v/elcome and dear.** 

Then answer made Tripusha, " We have seen 
That sacred Master, Princess ! we have bowed 
Before his feet ; for who was lost a Prince 
Is found a greater than the King of kings. 
Under the Bodhi-tree" by Phalgu's bank 
That which shall save the world hath late been wrought 
Bv him — the Friend of all, the Prince of all — 
Thine most, High Lady ! from whose tears men win 
The comfort of this Word the Master speaks. 



"T 



iirimnw— ■ww»Gaw»«WB 



""-J" 



128 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Lo ! he is well, as one beyond all ills, 
Uplifted as a god from earthly woes, 
Shining with risen Truth, golden and clear. 
Moreover as he entereth town by town, 
Preaching those noble ways which lead to peace, 
f The hearts of men follow his path as leaves 
Troop to wind or sheep draw after one 
Who knows the pastures. We ourselves have heara 
By Gay a in the green Tchirnika^ grove 
Those v/ondrous lips and done them reverence : 
He cometh hither ere the first rains fall." 

Thus spake he, and Yasbdhara, for joy, 
Scarce mastered breath to answer, " Be it well 
Now and at all times with ye, worthy friends ! 
Who bring good tidings ; but of this great thing 
Wist ye how it befell ? ''' 

Then Bhalluk told 
Such as the people of the valleys knew 
Of that dread night of conflict, when the air 
Darkened with fiendish shadows, and the earth 
Quaked, and the waters swelled with Mara's wrath." 
Also how gloriously that morning broke 
Radiant with rising hopes for man, and how 
The Lord was found rejoicing 'neath his Tree. 
But many days the burden of release — 
To be escaped beyond all storms of doubt, 
Safe on Truth's shore — lay, spake he, on that heart 
A golden load ; for how shall men — Buddh mused-= 
Who love their sins and cleave to cheats of sense, 
And drink of error from a thousand springs — 



ir si m mmmMat afKmtBiamtam iei^ m %. 



Ei 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. 1 29 

Having no mind to see, nor strength to break 

The fleshly snare which binds them — how should such 

Receive the Twelve Nidanas^ and the Law 

Redeeming all, yet strange to profit by. 

As the caged bird oft shuns its opened door ? 

So had we missed the helpful victory 

If, in this earth without a refuge, Buddh 

Winning the way, had deemed it all too hard 

For mortal feet, and passed, none following him. 

Yet pondered the compassion of our Lord, 

But in that hour there rang a voice as sharp 

As cry of travail, so as if the earth 

Moaned in birth- throe " Nasyanii aham bhU 

Nasyati lo'ka ! " Surely I am lost, 

I AND MY CREATURES I then a pause, and next, 

A pleading sigh borne on the western wind, 

^^ Sruyatdm dkannay Bhagwai /'* Oh, Supreme ! 

Let thy great Law be uttered ! Whereupon 

The Master cast his vision forth on flesh, 

Saw who should hear and who must wait to hear, 

As the keen Sun gilding the lotus-lakes 

Seeth which buds will open to his beams 

And which are not yet risen from their roots ; 

Then spake, divinely smiling, " Yea ! I preach ! 

Whoso will listen let him learn the Law." 

Afterwards passed he, said they, by the hills 
Unto Benares, where he taught the Five,'" 
Showing how birth and death should be destroyed. 



i And how man hath no fate except past deeds, 



130 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

No Hell but what he makes, no Heaven too high 
For those to reach whose passions sleep subdued. 
This was the fifteenth day of Vaishya^^ 
Mid-afternoon and that night was full moon. 

But, of the Rishis,'^ first Kaundinya 
Owned the Four Truths" and entered on the Paths ; 
And after him Bhadraka, Asvajit, 
Basava, Mahanama ; also there 
Within the Deer-park, at the feet of Buddh, 
Yasad the Prince^'' with nobles fifty-four 
Hearing the blessed word our Master spake 
Worshiped and followed ; for there sprang up peace 
And knowledge of a new time come for men 
In all who heard, as spring the flowers and grass 
When water sparkles through a sandy plain. 

These sixty — said they — did our Lord send forth, 
Made perfect in restraint and passion-free, 
To teach the Way ; but the World-honored turned 
South from the Deer-park and Isipatan 
To Yashti and King Bimbsara's realm, 
Where many days he taught ; and after these 
King Bimbsdra and his folk believed. 
Learning the law of love and ordered life. 
Also he gave the Master, of free gift, — 
Pouring forth water on the hands of Buddh — 
The Bamboo-Garden, named Weluvana, 
Wherein are streams and caves and lovely glades ; 
And the King set a stone there, carved with this : — 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. 13I 

Yd dharma hetuppabhawa 

Yesan hetun Tathdgato ; 
Aha yesan cha yo nirodhd 
Ewan wadi Maha samano. 

" What life's course and cause sustain 
These Tathagato made plain ; 
What delivers from life's woe 
That our Lord hath made us know." 

And, in that Garden — said they — there was held 
A high Assembly, where the Teacher spake 
Wisdom and power, winning all souls which heard. 
So that nine hundred took the yellow robe — 
Such as the Master wears, — and spread his Law ; 
And this the gdtha ^^ was wherewith he closed ; — 

Sabba pdpassa akaranan; 
Kusalassa up as amp add ; 
Sa chitta pariyodapanan ; 
£ta7i Budhdnusdsanan. 

" Evil swells the debts to pay, 
Good delivers and acquits ; 
Shun evil, follow good ; hold sway 
Over thyself. This is the Way." 

Whom, when they ended, speaking so of him, 
With gifts, and thanks which made the jewels dull, 
The Princess recompensed. " But by what road 
Wendeth my Lord ? " she asked : the merchants said, 
" Yojans ^ three-score stretch from the city-walls 



132 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

To Rajdgriha, whence the easy path 
Passeth by Sona " hither and the hills. 
Our oxen, treading eight slow kos ^® a day, 
Came in one moon." 

Then the King hearing word, 
Sent nobles of the Court — well-mounted lords — 
Nine separate messengers, each embassy 
Bidden to say, " The King Suddhodana — 
Nearer the pyre by seven long years of lack, 
Wherethrough he hath not ceased to seek for thee— • 
Prays of his son to come unto his own, 
The Throne and people of this longing Realm, 
Lest he shall die and see thy face no more." 
Also nine horsemen sent Yasbdhara 
Bidden to say, " The Princess of thy House — 
Rahula's mother ^^ — craves to see thy face 
As the night-blowing moon-flower's swelling heart ^ 
Pines for the moon, as pale as6ka-buds ^* 
Wait for a woman's foot : if thou hast found 
More than was lost, she prays her part in this, 
Rahula's part, but most of all thyself." 
So sped the Sdkya Lords, but it befell 
That each one, with the message in his mouth, 
Entered the Bamboo- Garden in that hour 
When Buddha taught his Law ; and — hearing — each 
Forgot to speak, lost thought of King and quest, 
Of the sad Princess even ; only gazed 
Eye-rapt upon the Master ; only hung 
Heart-caught upon the speech, compassionate, 
Commanding, perfect, pure, enlightening all. 
Poured from those sacred lips. Look ! like a bee 




BOOK THE SEVENTH. 

Winged for the hive, who sees the mogras^^ spread 

And scents their utter sweetness on the air, 

If he be honey-filled, it matters not ; 

If night be nigh, or rain, he will not heed ; 

Needs mast he light on those delicious blooms 

And drain their nectar ; so these messengers 

One v/ith another, hearing Buddha's words, 

Let go the purpose of their speed, and mixed, 

Heedless of all, amid the Master's train. 

Wherefore the King bade that Udayi ^^ go — 

Chiefest in all the Court, and faithfulest, 

Siddartha's playmate in the happier days — 

Who, as he drew anear the garden, plucked 

Blown tufts of tree-wool ^^ from the grove and sealed 

The entrance of his hearing ; thus he came 

Safe through the lofty peril of the place 

And told the message of the King, and her's. 

Then meekly bowed his head and spake our Lord 
Before the people, " Surely I shall go ! 
It is my duty as it was my will; 
Let no man miss to render reverence 
To those who lend him life, whereby come means 
To live and die no more, but safe attain 
Blissful Nirvana,^^ if ye keep the Law, 
Purging past wrongs and adding nought thereto. 
Complete in love and lovely charities. 
Let the King know and let the Princess hear 
I take the way forthwith." This told, the folk 
Of white Kapilavastu and its fields 
Made ready for the entrance of their Prince. 




1 



134 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

At the south gate a bright pavilion rose 

With flower-wreathed pillars and the walls of silk 

Wrought on their red and green with woven gold. 

Also the roads were laid with scented boughs 

Of neem^^ and mango,^' and full masakhs^^ shed 

Sandal and jasmine on the dust, and flags 

Fluttered ; and on the day when he should come 

It was ordained how many elephants — 

With silver howdahs^^ and their tusks gold-tipped — 

Should wait beyond the ford, and where the drums 

Should boom " Siddartha cometh ! " where the lords 

Should light and worship, and the dancing-girls 

Where they should strew their flowers with dance and song 

So that the steed he rode might tramp knee-deep 

In rose and balsam, and the ways be fair ; 

While the town rang with music and high joy. 

This v/as ordained, and all men's ears were pricked 

Dawn after dawn to catch the first drum's beat 

Announcing, ** Now he cometh ! " 



'&) 



But it fell — 



Eager to be before — Yasodhara 

Rode in her litter to the city-walls 

Where soared the bright pavilion. All around 

A beauteous garden smiled — Nigrodha^" named — 

Shaded with bel-trees^^ and the green-plumed dates. 

New-trimmed and gay with winding walks and banks 

Of fruits and flowers ; for the southern road 

Skirted its lawns, on this hand leaf and bloom. 

On that the suburb-huts where base-borns dwelt 

Outside the gates, a patient folk and poor. 

Whose touch for Kshatriya^^ and priest of Brahm 



■n 111 I ■im— —iM—afa—ii—m^—i ■■MWftiMaeMKgai 



'■■■»iaiiiiiiiii>i«»iii———i—i^i^t^gi—B»iiW— —■—■—— MaBS 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. 1 35 

Were sore defilement. Yet those, too, were quick 

With expectation, rising ere the dawn 

To peer along the road, to climb the trees 

At far-off trumpet of some elephant, 

Or stir of temple-drum ; and when none came, 

Busied with lowly chares^^ to please the Prince ; 

Sweeping their door-stones, setting forth their flags, 

Stringing the fluted fig-leaves into chains. 

New furbishing the Lingam,^ decking new 

Yesterday's faded arch of boughs, but aye 

Questioning wayfarers if any noise 

Be on the road of great Siddartha. These 

The Princess marked with lovely languid eyes. 

Watching, as they, the southward plain, and bent 

Like them to listen if the passers gave 

News of the path. So fell it she beheld 

One slow approaching with his head close shorn, 

A yellow cloth over his shoulder cast, 

Girt as the hermits are, and in his hand 

An earthen bowl, shaped melonwise, the which 

Meekly at each hut-door he held a space. 

Taking the granted dole with gentle thanks 

And all as gently passing where none gave. 

Two followed him wearing the yellow robe. 

But he who bore the bowl so lordly seemed. 

So reverend, and with such a passage moved, 

AVith so commanding presence filled the air, 

With such sweet eyes of holiness smote all, 

That as they reached him alms the givers gazed 

Awestruck upon his face, and some bent down 

In worship, and some ran to fetch fresh gifts, 




i 

i 



THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 



Grieved to be poor ; till slowly, group by group, 

Children and men and women drew behind 

Into his steps, whispering with covered lips, 

" Who is he ? who ? when looked a Rishi^^ thus ? " 

But as he came with quiet footfall on 

Nigh the pavilion, lo ! the silken door 

Lifted, and, all unveiled, Yasbdhara 

Stood in his path crying, " Siddartha ! Lord ! " 

With wide eyes streaming and with close-clasped hands. 

Then sobbing fell upon his feet, and lay. 

Afterwards, when this weeping lady passed 
Into the Noble Paths,^® and one had prayed 
Answer from Buddha wherefore — being vowed 
Quit of all mortal passion and the touch. 
Flower-soft and conquering, of a woman's hands — 
He suffered such embrace, the Master said : 
" The greater beareth with the lesser love 
So it may raise it unto easier heights. 
Take heed that no man, being 'scaped from bonds, 
Vexeth bound souls with boasts of liberty. 
Free are ye rather that your freedom spread 
By patient winning and sweet wisdom's skill. 
Three eras of long toil bring Bodhisats" — 
Who will be guides and help this darkling worlds 
Unto deliverance, and the first is named 
Of deep ' Resolve,' the second of 'Attempt,' 
The third of * Nomination.' Lo ! I lived 
In era of Resolve, desiring good. 
Searching for wisdom, but mine eyes were sealed. 
Count the gray seeds on yonder castor-cluijip, 




BOOK THE SEVENTH. I37 

So many rains it is since I was Ram, 

A merchant of the coast which looketh south 

To Lanka^ and the hiding place of pearls. 

Also in that far time Yasodhara 

Dwelt with me in our village by the sea, 

Tender as now, and Lakshmi was her name. 

And I remember how I journeyed thence 

Seeking our gain, for poor the household was 

And lowly. Not the less with wistful tears 

She prayed me that I should not part, nor tempt 

Perils by land and water. * How could love 

Leave what it loved ? ' she wailed ; yet, venturing, I 

Passed to the Straits, and after storm and toil 

And deadly strife with creatures of the deep. 

And woes beneath the midnight and the noon, 

Searching the wave I won therefrom a pearl 

Moonlike and glorious, such as Kings might buy 

Emptying their treasury. Then came I glad 

Unto mine hills, but over all that land 

Famine spread sore ; ill was I stead to live 

In journey home, and hardly reached my door — 

Aching for food — with that white wealth of the sea 

Tied in my girdle. Yet no food was there ; 

And on the threshold she for whom I toiled — 

More than myself — lay with her speechless lips 

Nigh unto death for one small gift of grain. 

Then cried I, ' If there be who hath of grain, 

Here is a kingdom's ransom for one life : 

Give Lakshmi bread and take my moonlight pearl. 

Whereat one brought the last of all his hoard, 

Millet — ^three seers ^ — and clutched the beauteous thing. 




138 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

But Lakshmi lived and sighed with gathered life, 
' Lo ! thou didst love indeed ! ' I spent my pearl 
Well in that life to comfort heart and mind 
Else quite uncomforted, but these pure pearls. 
My last large gain, won from a deeper wave — ► 
The Twelve Nidanas"*" and the Law of Good— 
Cannot be spent, nor dimmed, and most fulfill 
Their perfect beauty being freeliest given. 
For like as is to Meru ^^ yonder hill 
Heaped by the little ants, and like as dew 
Dropped in the footmark of a bounding roe 
Unto the shoreless seas, so was that gift 
Unto my present giving ; and so love — 
Vaster in being free from toils of sense — 
Was wisest stooping to the weaker heart ; 
And so the feet of sweet Yasbdhara 
Passed into peace and bliss, being softly led."^* 

But when the King heard how Siddartha came 
Shorn, with the mendicant's sad-colored cloth, 
And stretching out a bowl to gather orts 
From base-borns' leavings, wrathful sorrow drove 
Love from his heart. Thrice on the ground he spat, 
Plucked at his silvered beard, and strode straight forth 
Lackeyed by trembling lords. Frowning he clcmb 
Upon his war-horse, drove the spurs, and dashed. 
Angered, through wondering streets and lanes of folk, 
Scarce finding breath to say, '' The King ! bow down ! " 
Ere the loud cavalcade had clattered by : 
Which — at the turning by the Temple-wall 
Where the south gate was seen — encountered full 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. 1 39 

A mighty crowd ; to every edge of it 

Poured fast more people, till the roads were lost, 

Blotted by that huge company which thronged 

And grew, close following him whose look serene 

Met the old King's. Nor lived the father's wrath 

Longer than while the gentle eyes of Buddh 

Lingered in worship on his troubled brows, 

Then downcast sank, with his true knee, to earth 

In proud humility. So dear it seemed 

To see the Prince, to know him whole, to mark 

That glory greater than of earthly state 

Crowning his head, that majesty which brought 

All men, so awed and silent, in his steps. 

Nathless the King broke forth, " Ends it in this 

That great Siddartha steals into his realm. 

Wrapped in a clout, shorn, sandaled, craving food 

Of low-borns, he whose life was as a God's ? 

My son ! heir of this spacious power, and heir 

Of Kings who did but clap their palms to have 

What earth could give or eager service bring ? 

Thou should'st have come appareled in thy rank, 

With shining spears and tramp of horse and foot. 

Lo ! all my soldiers camped upon the road, 

And all my city waited at the gates ; 

Where hast thou sojourned through these evil years 

Whilst thy crowned father mourned ? and she, too, there 

Lived as the widows use, foregoing joys ; 

Never once hearing sound of song or string, 

Nor wearing once the festal robe, till now 

When in her cloth of gold she welcomes home 

A beggar spouse in yellow remnants clad. 



I40 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Son ! why is this ? " 

** My Father ! " came reply, 
" It is the custom of my race." 

" Thy race," 
Answered the King, " counteth a hundred thrones 
From Mahdsammat/' but no deed like this." 

" Not of a mortal line," the Master said, 
" I spake, but of descent invisible, 
The Buddhas who have been and who shall be : 
Of these am I, and what they did I do. 
And this which now befalls so fell before 
That at his gate a King in warrior-mail 
Should meet his son, a Prince in hermit-weeds ; 
And that, by love and self-control, being more 
Than mightiest Kings in all their puissance, 
The appointed Helper of the Worlds should bow — 
As now do I — and with all lowly love 
Proffer, where it is owed for tender debts, 
The first-fruits of the treasure he hath brought ; 
Which now I proffer." 

Then the King amazed 
Inquired "What treasure ? " and the Teacher took 
Meekly the royal palm, and while they paced 
Through worshiping streets — the Princess and the King 
On either side — he told the things which make 
For peace and pureness, those Four noble Truths'" 
Which hold all wisdom as shores shut the seas. 
Those eight right Rules'*^ whereby who will may walk — 
Monarch or slave — upon the perfect Path 
That hath its Stages Four*^ and Precepts Eight,^ 



BOOK THE SEVENTH. I4I 

Whereby whoso will live — mighty or mean, 
Wise or unlearned, man, woman, young or old — 
Shall soon or late break from the wheels of life 
Attaining blest Nirvana. So they came 
Into the Palace-porch, Suddhodana 
With brows unknit drinking the mighty words, 
And in his own hand carrying Buddha's bowl, 
Whilst a new light brightened the lovely eyes 
Of sweet Yas5dhara and sunned her tears ; 
And that night entered they the Way of Peace, 



■ no 



iBooli t\]z ©iglitl). 



A BROAD rpead spreads by swift Kohana's bank 
At Nagara ;' five days shall bring a rnan 
In ox-wain^ thither from Benares* shrines 
Eastward and northward journeying. The horns 
Of white Himala look upon the place, 
Which all the year is glad with blooms and girt 
By groves made green from that bright streamlet's wave. 
Soft are its slopes and cool its fragrant shades, 
And holy all the spirit of the spot 
Unto this time : the breath of eve comes hushed 
Over the tangled thickets, and high heaps 
Of carved red stones cloven by root and stem 
Of creeping fig, and clad with waving veil 
Of leaf and grass. The still snake glistens forth 
From crumbled work of lac and cedar-beams 
To coil his folds there on deep-graven slabs ; 
The lizard dwells and darts o'er painted floors 
Where kings have paced ; the gray fox litters safe 
Under the broken thrones ; only the peaks, 
And stream, and sloping lawns, and gentle air 
Abide unchanged. All else, like all fair shows 
Of life, are fled — for this is where it stood, 

143 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I43 

The city of Suddhddana, the hill 
Whereon, upon an eve of gold and blue 
At sinking sun Lord Buddha set himself 
To teach the Law in hearing of his own. 

Lo ! ye shall read it in the Sacred Books 
How, being met in that glad pleasaunce-place— 
A garden in old days with hanging walks. 
Fountains, and tanks, and rose-banked terraces 
Girdled by gay pavilions and the sweep 
Of stately palace-fronts — the Master sate 
Eminent, worshiped, all the earnest throng 
Catching the opening of his lips to learn 
That wisdom which hath made our Asia mild ; 
Whereto four hundred crors^ of living souls 
Witness this day. Upon the King's right hand 
He sate, and round were ranged the Sakya Lords 
Ananda, Devadatta — all the Court. 
Behind stood Seriyut and Mugallan, chiefs 
Of the calm brethren in the yellow garb, 
A goodly company. Between his knees 
Rahula smiled with wondering childish eyes 
Bent on the awful face, while at his feet 
Sate sweet Yasodhara, her heartaches gone, 
Foreseeing that fair love which doth not feed 
On fleeting sense, that life which knows no age. 
That blessed last of deaths when Death is dead, 
His victory and hers. Wherefore she laid 
Her hand upon his hands, folding around 
Her silver shoulder-cloth his yellow robe. 
Nearest in all the world to him whose words 



144 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

'J'he Three Worlds waited for. I cannot tell 

A small part of the splendid lore which broke 

From Buddha's lips: I am a late-come scribe 

Wiio love the Master and his love of men, 

Anil tell this legend, knowing he was wise, 

But have not wit to speak beyond the books ; 

And time hath blurred their script and ancient sense, 

"vViiich once was new and mighty, moving all. 

A little of that large discourse I know 

Which Buddha spake on the soft Indian eve. 

Also I know it writ that they who heard 

Were more — lakhs^ more — crors more — than could be 

seen. 
For all the Devas and the Dead thronged there. 
Till Heaven was emptied to the seventh- zone 
And uttermost dark Hells opened their bars ; 
Also the daylight lingered past its time 
In rose-leaf radiance on the watching peaks, 
So that it seemed Night listened in the glens 
And Noon upon the mountains ; yea, they write, 
The evening stood between them like some maid 
Cc-kstial, love-struck, rapt ; the smooth-rolled clouds 
Her braided hair ; the studded stars the pearls 
And diamonds of her coronal ; the moon 
Her forehead-jewel, and the deepening dark 
Her woven garments. 'Twas her close-held breath 
Which came in scented sighs across the lawns 
While our Lord taught, and, while he taught, who heard — 
Tliough he were stranger in the land, or slave, 
High caste or low, come of the Aryan blood, 
Or Mlech'^ or Jungle-dweller — seemed to hear 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I45 

What tongue his fellows talked. Nay, outside those 
Who crowded by the river, great and small, 
The birds and beasts and creeping things^ — 'tis writ- 
Had sense of Buddha's vast embracing love 
And took the promise of his piteous speech ; 
So that their lives — prisoned in shape of ape, 
Tiger, or deer, shagged bear, jackal, or wolf, 
Foul-feeding kite, pearled dove, or peacock gemmed, 
Squat toad, or speckled serpent, lizard, bat ; 
Yea, or of fish fanning the river-waves — 
Touched meekly at the skirts of brotherhood 
With man who hath less innocence than these ; 
And in mute gladness knew their bondage broke 
Whilst Buddha spake these things before the King :— 



Om,' amitaya ! * measure not with words 

Th' Immeasurable ; nor sink the string of thought 

Into the Fathomless. Who asks doth err, 
Who answers, errs. Say nought ! 

The Books teach Darkness was, at first of all, 
And Brahm, sole meditating in that night : 

Look not for Brahm^ and the Beginning there ! 
Nor him, nor any light 

Shall any gazer see with mortal eyes, 
Or any searcher know by mortal mind ; 

Veil after veil will lift — but there must be 
Veil upon veil behind. 



146 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Stars sweep and question not. This is enough 
I That life and death and joy and woe abide ; 

And cause and sequence, and the course of time, 
And Being's ceaseless tide, 

Which, ever-changing, runs, linked like a river 
By ripples following ripples, fast or slow — 

The same yet not the same — from far-off fountain 
To where its waters flow 

Into the seas. These, steaming to the Sun, 
Give the lost wavelets back in cloudy fleece 

To trickle down the hills, and glide again ; 
Having no pause or peace. 

This is enough to know, the phantasms are ; 

The Heavens, Earths, Worlds, and changes changing 
them 
A mighty whirling wheel of strife and stress 

Which none can stay or stem. 

Pray not ! the darkness will not brighten ! Ask 
Nought from the Silence, for it cannot speak ! 

Vex not your mournful minds with pious pains ! 
Ah ! Brothers, Sisters ! seek 

Nought from the helpless gods by gift and hymn, 
Nor bribe with blood, nor feed with fruit and cakes ; 

Within yourselves deliverance must be sought ; 
Each man his prison makes." 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I47 

Ravh hath such lordship as the loftiest ones ; 

Nay, for with Powers above, around, below, 
As with all flesh and whatsoever lives. 

Act maketh joy and woe. 

What hath been bringeth what shall be, and is. 
Worse — better — last for first and first for last ; 

The Angels in the Heavens of Gladness reap 
Fruits of a holy past. 

The devils in the underworlds wear out 
Deeds that were wicked in an age gone by. 

Nothing endures : fair virtues waste with time, 
Foul sins grow purged thereby. 

Who toiled a slave may come anew a Prince 

For gentle worthiness and merit won ; 
Who ruled a King may wander earth in rags 

For things done and undone. 

Higher than Indrd's " ye may lift your lot, 
And sink it lower than the worm or gnat ; 

The end of many myriad lives is this, 
The end of myri::ds that. 

Only, while turns this wheel invisible, 

No pause, no peace, no staying-place can be ; 

Who mounts will fall, who falls may mount ; the spokes 
Go round unceasingly ! 



148 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

If ye lay bound upon the wheel of change, 
And no way were of breaking from the chain, 

The Heart of boundless Being is a curse, 
The Soul of Things fell Pain. 

Ye are not bound ! the Soul of Things is sweet, 
The Heart of Being is celestial rest ; 

Stronger than woe is will : that which was Good 
Doth pass to Better — Best. 

I, Buddh, who wept with all my brothers' tears, 
Whose heart was broken by a whole world's woe, 

Laugh and am glad, for there is Liberty ! 
Ho ! ye who suffer ! know 

Ye suffer from yourselves. None else compels, 
None other holds you that ye live and die, 

And whirl upon the wheel, and hug and kiss 
Its spokes of agony, 

Its tire of tears, its nave of nothingness. 

Behold, I show you Truth ! Lower than hell. 
Higher than heaven, outside the utmost stars. 

Farther than Brahm doth dwell. 

Before beginning, and without an end. 

As space eternal and as surety sure. 
Is fixed a power divine which moves to good, 

Only its laws endure. 

This is its touch upon the blossomed rose, 
The fashion of its hand shaped lotus-leaves; 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I49 

In dark soil and the silence of the seeds 
The robe of Spring it weaves ; 

That is its painting on the glorious clouds, 

And these its emeralds on the peacock's train ; 

It hath its stations in the stars ; its slaves 
In lightning, wind, and rain. 

Out of the dark it wrought the heart of man, 
Out of dull shells the pheasant's penciled neck ; 

Ever at toil, it brings to loveliness 
All ancient wrath and wreck. 

The gray eggs in the golden sun-bird's nest 

Its treasures are, the bees* six-sided cell 
Its honey-pot ; the ant wots of its ways. 

The white doves know them well. 

It spreadeth forth for flight the eagle's wings 
What time she beareth home her prey ; it sends 

The she-wolf to her cubs ; for unloved things 
It findeth food and friends. 

It is not marred nor stayed in any use. 

All liketh it ; the sweet white milk it brings 

To mothers' breasts ; it brings the white drops, too, 
Wherewith the young snake stings. 

The ordered music of the marching orbs 

It makes in viewless canopy of sky ; 
In deep abyss of earth it hides up gold, 

Sards, sapphires, lazuli. 



150 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Ever and ever bringing secrets forth, 

It sitteth in the green of forest-glades 
Nursing strange seedlings at the cedar's root, 

Devising leaves, blooms, blades. 

It slayeth and it saveth, nowise moved 

Except unto the working out of doom ; 
Its threads are Love and Life ; and Death and Pain 

The shuttles of its loom. 

It maketh and unmaketh, mending all ; 

What it hath wrought is better than hath been ; 
Slow grows the splendid pattern that it plans 

Its wistful hands between. 

This is its work upon the things ye see. 

The unseen things are more ; men's hearts and minds, 
The thoughts of peoples and their ways and wills. 

Those, too, the great Law binds. 

Unseen it helpeth ye with faithful hands. 

Unheard it speaketh stronger than the storm. 

Pity and Love are man's because long stress 
Molded blind mass to form. 

It will not be contemned of any one ; 

Who thwarts it loses, and who serves it gains ; 
The hidden good it pays with peace and bliss, 

The hidden ill with pains. 

It seeth everywhere and marketh all : 

Do right — it recompenseth ! do one wrong — 



■■^RSOmiLWUIUI 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I5I 

The equal retribution must be made, 
Though Dharma '^ tarry long. 

It knows not wrath nor pardon ; utter-true 

Its measures mete, its faultless balance weighs ; 

Times are as nought, to-morrow it will judge, 
Or after many days. 

By this the slayer's knife did stab himself ; 

The unjust judge hath lost his own defender ; 
The false tongue dooms its lie ; the creeping thief 

And spoiler rob, to render. 

Such is the Law which moves to righteousness, 
Which none at last can turn aside or stay ; 

The heart of it is Love, the end of it 

Is Peace and Consummation sweet. Obey ! 



The Books say well, my Brothers ! each man's life 
The outcome of his former living is ; 

The bygone wrongs bring forth sorrows and woes, 
The bygone right breeds bliss. 

That which ye sow ye reap. See yonder fields ! 

The sesamum was sesamum,^^ the corn 
Was corn. The Silence and the Darkness knew ! 

So is a man's fate born. 

He cometh, reaper of the things he sowed, 
Sesamum, corn, so much cast in past birth ; 



152 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And so much weed and poison-stuff, which mar 
Him and the aching earth. 

If he shall labor rightly, rooting these, 

And planting wholesome seedlings where they grew, 
Fruitful and fair and clean the ground shall be. 

And rich the harvest due. 

If he who liveth, learning whence woe springs, 

Endureth patiently, striving to pay 
His utmost debt for ancient evils done 

In Love and Truth alway ; 

If making none to lack, he throughly purge 
The lie and lust of self forth from his blood ; 

Suffering all meekly, rendering for offense 
Nothing but grace and good ; 

If he shall day by day dwell merciful, 

Holy and just and kind and true ; and rend 

Desire from where it clings with bleeding roots, 
Till love of life have end : 

He — dying — leaveth as the sum of him 

A life-count closed, whose ills are dead and quit, 
Whose good is quick and mighty, far and near, 
^ So that fruits follow it. 

No need hath such to live as ye name life ; 

That which began in him when he began 
Is finished : he hath wrought the purpose through 

Of what did make him Man. 




BOOK THE EIGHTH. I53 

» 

Never shall yearnings torture him, nor sins 
Stain him, nor ache of earthly joys and woes 

Invade his safe eternal peace ; nor deaths 
And lives recur. He goes 

Unto Nirvana." He is one with Life 
Yet lives not. He is blest, ceasing to be. 

Om,'^ mani'^ padme," om ! the Dewdrop slips 
Into the shining sea ! '* 

This is the doctrine of the Karma." Learn ! 

Only when all the dross of sin is quit, 
Only when life dies like a white flame spent 

Death dies along with it. 

Say not " I am," " I was," or " I shall be," 

Think not ye pass from house to house of flesh 

Like travelers who remember and forget, 
Ill-lodged or well-lodged. Fresh 

Issues upon the Universe that sum 
Which is the lattermost of lives. It makes 

Its habitation as the worm spins silk 
And dwells therein. It takes 

Function and substance as the snake's egg hatched 
Takes scale and fang ; as feathered reed-seeds fly 

O'er rock and loam and sand, until they find 
Their marsh and multiply. 



154 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Also it issues forth to help or hurt. 

When Death the bitter murderer doth smite, 
Red roams the unpurged fragment of him, driven 

On wings of plague and blight. 

But when the mild and just die, sweet airs breathe ; 

The world grows richer, as if desert-stream 
Should sink away to sparkle up again 

Purer, with broader gleam. 

So merit won winneth the happier age 

Which by demerit halteth short of end ; 
Yet must this Law of Love reign King of all 

Before the Kalpas^" end. 

What lets ? — Brothers ! the Darkness lets ! which breeds 
Ignorance, mazed whereby ye take these shows 

For true, and thirst to have, and, having, cling 
To lusts which work you woes. 

Ye that will tread the Middle Road, whose course 
Bright Reason traces and soft Quiet smoothes ; 

Ye who will take the high Nirvana-way 
List the Four Noble Truths. 

The First Truth is of Sorrow. Be not mocked ! 

Life which ye prize is long-drawn agony ; 
Only its pains abide ; its pleasures are 

As birds which light and fly. 

Ache of the birth, ache of the helpless days, 

Ache of hot youth and ache of manhood's prime ; 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. I55 

Ache of the chill gray years and choking death, 
These fill your piteous time. 

Sweet is fond Love, but funeral-flames must kiss 
The breasts which pillow and the lips which cling 

Gallant is warlike Might, but vultures pick 
The joints of chief and King. 

Beauteous is Earth, but all its forest-broods 

Plot mutual slaughter, hungering to live ; 
Of sapphire are the skies, but when men cry 

Famished, no drops they give. 

Ask of the sick, the mourners, ask of him 
Who tottereth on his staff, lone and forlorn, 

** Liketh thee life ? " — these say the babe is wise 
That weepeth, being born. 

The Second Truth is Sorrow's Cause. What grief 
Springs of itself and springs not of Desire ? 

Senses and things perceived mingle and light 
Passion's quick spark of fir j ; 

So flameth Trishna, luct and thirst of things. 

Eager ye cleave to shadows, dote on dreams ; 
A false Self in the midst ye plant, and make 

A world around which seems 

Blind to the height beyond, deaf to the sound 
Of sweet airs breathed from far past Indra's sky ; 

Dumb to the summons of the true life kept 
For him who false puts by. 



156 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

So grow the strifes and lusts which make earth's war, 
So grieve poor cheated hearts and flow salt tears ; 

So wax the passions, envies, angers, hates ; 
So years chase blood-stained years 

With wild red feet. So, where the grain should grow, 
Spreads the birdn-weed^^ with its evil root 

And poisonous blossoms ; hardly good seeds find 
Soil where to fall and shoot ; ^ 

And drugged with poisonous drink the soul departs, 
And fierce with thirst to drink Karma returns ; 

Sense-struck again the sodden self begins, 
And new deceits it earns. 

The Third is Sorrow's Ceasing. This is peace 
To conquer love of self and lust of life, 

To tear deep-rooted passion from the breast. 
To still the inward strife ; 

For love to clasp Eternal Beauty close ; 

For glory to be Lord of self, for pleasure 
To live beyond the gods ; for countless wealth 

To lay up lasting treasure 

Of perfect service rendered, duties done 
In charity, soft speech, and stainless days : 

These riches shall not fade away in life, 
Nor any death dispraise. 

Then Sorrow ends, for Life and Death have ceased ; 
How should lamps flicker when their oil is spent ? 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. 1 57 



The old sad count is clear, the new is clean ; 
Thus hath a man content. 



* 



The Fourth Truth is The Way. It openeth wide, 
Plain for all feet to tread, easy and near, 

The Noble Eightfold Path ; it goeth straight 
To peace and refuge. Hear ! 

Manifold tracks lead to yon sister-peaks 

Around whose snows the gilded clouds are curled ; 

By steep or gentle slopes the climber comes 
Where breaks that other world. 

Strong limbs may dare the rugged road which storms, 
Soaring and perilous, the mountain's breast ; 

The weak must wind from slower ledge to ledge 
With many a place of rest. 

So is the Eightfold Path which brings to peace ; 

By lower or by upper heights it goes. 
The firm soul hastes, the feeble tarries. All 

Will reach the sunlit snows. 

The First good Level is Right Doctrine. Walk 
In Fear of Dharma, shunning all offense ; 

In heed of Karma, which doth make man's fate ; 
In lordship over sense. 

The Second is Right Purpose. Have good- will 
To all that lives, letting unkindness die 



158 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

And greed and wrath ; so that your lives be made 
Like soft airs passing by. 

The Third is Right Discourse. Govern the lips 
As they were palace-doors, the King within ; 

Tranquil and fair and courteous be all words 
Which from that presence win. 

The Fourth is Right Behavior. Let each act 

Assoil a fault or help a merit grow : 
Like threads of silver seen through crystal beads 

Let love through good deeds show. 

Four higher roadways be. Only those feet 

May tread them which have done with earthly things ; 

Right Purity, Right Thought, Right Loneliness, 
Right Rapture. Spread no wings 

For sunward flight, thou soul with unplumed vans ! 

Sweet is the lower air and safe, and known 
The homely levels : only strong ones leave 

The nest each makes his own. 

Dear is the love, I know, of Wife and Child ; 

Pleasant the friends and pastimes of your years ; 
Fruitful of good Life's gentle charities ; 

False, though firm-set, its fears. 

Live — ye who must — such lives as live on these ; 

Make golden stair-ways of your weakness ; rise 
By daily sojourn with those phantasies 

To lovelier verities. 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. 159 

So shall ye pass to clearer heights and find 

Easier ascents and lighter loads of sins, 
And larger will to burst the bonds of sense. 

Entering the Path. Who wins 

To such commencement hath the Fi7'st Stage touched ; 

He knows the Noble Truths, the Eightfold Road ; 
By few or many steps such shall attain 

Nirvana's blest abode. 

Who standeth at the Second Stage, made free 
From doubts, delusions, and the inward strife, 

Lord of all lusts, quit of the priests and books. 
Shall live but one more life. 

Yet onward lies the Third Stage : purged and pure 
Hath grown the stately spirit here, hath risen 

To love all living things in perfect peace. 
His life at end, life's prison 

Is broken. Nay, there are who surely pass 

Living and visible to utmost goal 
By Fourth Stage of the Holy ones — the Buddhs — 

And they of stainless soul. 

Lo ! like fierce foes slain by some warrior. 

Ten sins along these Stages lie in dust, 
The Love of Self, False Faith, and Doubt arc three, 

Two more. Hatred and Lust. 

Who of these Five is conqueror hath trod 
Three stages out of Four : yet there abide 



l6o THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

The Love of Life on Earth, Desire for Heaven, 
Self-Praise, Error, and Pride. 

As one who stands on yonder snowy horn 

Having nought o'er him but the boundless blue, 

So, these sins being slain, the man is come 
Nirvana's verge unto. 

Him the Gods envy from their lower seats ; 

Him the Three Worlds in ruin should not shake ; 
All life is lived for him, all deaths are dead ; 

Karma will no more make 

New houses. Seeking nothing, he gains all ; 

Foregoing self, the Universe grows " I : '* 
If any teach NIRVAnA is to cease. 

Say unto such they lie. 

If any teach NIRVANA is to live, 

Say unto such they err ;^ not knowing this, 

Nor what light shines beyond their broken lamps, 
Nor lifeless, timeless bliss. 

Enter the Path ! There is no grief like Hate ! 

No pains like passions, no deceit like sense ! 
Enter the Path ! far hath he gone whose foot 

Treads down one fond offense. 

Enter the Path ! There spring the healing streams 

Quenching all thirst ! there bloom th' immortal flowers 

Carpeting all the way with joy ! there throng 
Swiftest and sweetest hours ! 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. l6l 

More is the treasure of the Law than gems ; 

Sweeter than comb its sweetness ; its deUghts 
Delightful past compare. Thereby to live 

Hear the Five Rules aright : — 

Kill not — for Pity's sake — and lest ye slay 
The meanest thing upon its upward way. 

Give freely and receive, but take from none 
By greed, or force or fraud, what is his own. 

Bear not false witness, slander not, nor lie ; 
Truth is the speech of inward purity. 

Shun drugs and drinks which work the wit abuse ; 
Clear minds, clean bodies, need no Soma juice.^ 

Touch not thy neighbor's wife, neither commit 
Sins of the flesh unlawful and unfit. 



These words the Master spake of duties due 
To father, mother, children, fellows, friends ; 
Teaching how such as may not swiftly break 
The clinging chains of sense — whose feet are weak 
To tread the higher road — should order so 
This life of flesh that all their hither days 
Pass blameless in discharge of charities 
And first true footfalls in the Eightfold Path ; 
Living pure, reverent, patient, pitiful, 
Loving all things which live even as themselves ; 
6 — ^ 



J5 



162 THE LIGHT OF ASIA. 

Because what falls for ill is fruit of ill 

Wrought in the past, and what falls well of good ; 

And that by howsomuch the householder 

Purgeth himself of self and helps the world. 

By so much happier comes he to next stage, 

In so much bettered being. This he spake. 

As also long before, when our Lord walked 

By Rajagriha in the bamboo-grove : 

For on a dawn he walked there and beheld 

The householder Singala, newly bathed, 

Bowing himself with bare head to the earth. 

To Heaven, and all four quarters ; while he threw 

Rice, red and white, from both hands.''* " Wherefore thus 

Bowest thou. Brother ? " said the Lord ; and he, 

" It is the way, Great Sir ! our fathers taught 

At every dawn, before the toil begins, 

To hold off evil from the sky above 

And earth beneath, and all the winds which blow." 

Then the World-honored spake : " Scatter not rice, 

But offer loving thoughts and acts to all. 

To parents as the East where rises light ; 

To teachers as the South v/hence rich gifts come ; 

To wife and children as the West where gleam 

Colors of love and calm, and all days end ; 

To friends and kinsmen and all men as North ; 

To humblest living things beneath, to Saints 

And Angels and the blessed Dead above : 

So shall all evil be shut off, and so 

The six main quarters will be safely kept.'* 

But to his own, them of the yellow robe — 
They who, as wakened eagles, soar with scorn 



BOOK THE EIGHTH. 163 

From life's low vale, and wing towards the Sun — 

To these he taught the Ten Observances, 

The Dasa sil^^ and how a mendicant 

Must know the Three Doors ^^ and the Triple Thoughts ;^ 

The Sixfold States of Mind j ^' the Fivefold Powers ; -' 

The Eight High Gates of Purity j^" the Modes 

Of Understanding j^^ Iddhi j^'^ Upeksha ;^^ 

The Five great Meditations^ which are food 

Sweeter than Amrit ^^ for the holy soul ; 

The Jhdnas^ and the Three Chief Refuges. ^"^ 

Also he taught his own how they should dwell ; 

How live, free from the snares of love and wealth ; 

What eat and drink and carry — three plain cloths, — 

Yellow, of stitched stuff, worn with shoulder bare — 

A girdle, almsbowl, strainer.^ Thus he laid 

The great foundations of our Sangha^^ well, 

That noble Order of the Yellow Robe 

Which to this day standeth to help the World. 

So all that night he spake, teaching the Law : 
And on no eyes fell sleep — for they who heard 
Rejoiced with tireless joy. Also the King, 
When this was finished, rose upon his throne 
And with bared feet bowed low before his Son 
Kissing his hem ; and said, '* Take me, O Son ! 
Lowest and least of all thy Company." 
And sweet Yasodhara, all happy now — 
Cried " Give to Rahula — thou Blessed One ! 
The Treasure of the Kingdom of thy Word 
For his inheritance." Thus passed these Three 
Into the Path. 



*^4 THE LIGHT OF ASIA, 

Here endeth what I write 
Who love the Master for his love of ns. 
A little knowing, little have I told 
Touching the Teacher and the Ways of Peace. 
Forty-five rains thereafter showed he those 
In many lands and many tongues and gave 
Our Asia light, that still is beautiful, 
Conquering the world with spirit of strong grace : 
All which is written in the holy Books, 
And where he passed and what proud Emperors 
Carved his sweet words upon the rocks and caves ; 
And how — in fullness of the times — it fell 
The Buddha died, the great Tathagato,'*' 
Even as a man 'mongst men, fulfilling all : 
Ar^d how a thousand thousand crors since then 
H\ve trod the path which leads whither he went 
^ hto Nirvana where the Silence lives. 



Ah ! Blessed Lord ! Oh, High Deliverer ! 
Forgive this feeble script, which doth thee wrong, 
Measuring with little wit thy lofty Love. 
A.H ! Lover ! Brother ! Guide ! Lamp of the Law I 

I TAKE MY refuge IN THY NAME AND THEE ! 
I TAKE MY REFUGE IN THY LaW OF GoOD ! 
I TAKE MY REFUGE IN THY OrDER ! OAf / 

tuE Dew is on the lotus !— rise. Great Sun ! 
And lift my leaf and mix me with the wave, 
Om mani padme hum,^' the Sunrise comes ! 
The Dewdrop slips into the shining Sea ! 



52lfter Uxatt) in Arabia. 

BY EDWIN ARNOLD. 

He who died at Azan sends 
This to comfort all his friends : 

Faithful friends ! It lies, I know, 
Pale and white and cold as snow ; 
And ye say, " Abdallah's dead ! " 
Weeping at the feet and head, 
I can see your falling tears, 
I can hear your sighs and prayers ; 
Yet I smile and whisper this, — 
*' I am not the thing you kiss ; 
Cease your tears, and let it lie ; 
It was mine, it is not I." 

Sweet friends ! What the women lave 
For its last bed of the grave. 
Is but a hut which I am quitting. 
Is a garment no more fitting, 
Is a cage, from which, at last. 
Like a hawk my soul hath passed. 
Love the inmate, not the room, — 
The wearer, not the garb,— the plume 
165 



l66 AFTER DEATH IN ARABIA. 

Of the falcon, not the bars 
Which kept him from those splendid stars. 
Loving friends ! Be wise and dry- 
Straightway every weeping eye,— 
What ye lift upon the bier 
Is not worth a wistful tear. 
*Tis an empty sea-shell, — one 
Out of which the pearl is gone ; 
The shell is broken, it lies there ; 
The pearl, the all, the soul, is here. 
'Tis an earthen jar, whose lid 
Allah sealed, the while it hid 
That treasure of his treasury, 
A mind that loved hi?n ; let it lie ! 
Let the shard be earth's once more, 
Since the gold shines in his store ! 

Allah glorious ! Allah good ! 
Now thy world is understood ; 
Now the long, long wonder ends ; 
Yet ye w^eep, my erring friends, 
While the man whom ye call dead, 
In unspoken bliss, instead, 
Lives and loves you ; lost, 'tis true. 
By such light as shines for you ; 
But in the light ye cannot see 
Of unfulfilled felicity, — 
In enlarging paradise. 
Lives a life that never dies. 

Farewell, friends ! Yet not farewell ; 
Where I am, ye, too, shall dwell. 



"t 



AFTER DEATH IN ARABIA. 167 

I am gone before your face, 
A moment's time, a little space. 
When ye come where I have stepped 
Ye will wonder why ye wept ; 
Ye will know, by wise love taught, 
That here is all, and there is naught. 
Weep awhile, if ye are fain, — 
Sunshine still must follow rain ; 
Only not at death, — for death, 
Now I know, is that first breath 
Which our souls draw when we enter 
Life, which is of all life center. 

Be ye certain all seems love, 

Viewed from Allah's throne above , 

Be ye stout of heart, and come 

Bravely onward to your home ! 

La Allah ilia Allah I yea ! 

Thou love divine ! Thou love alway ! 

He that died at Azan gave 

This to those who made his grave. 



«« 



j^e nnb She.'" 

BY EDWIN ARNOLD. 

" She is dead ! " they said to him ; " come away ; 
Kiss her and leave her, — thy love is clay ! " 

They smoothed her tresses of dark brown hair; 
On her forehead of stone they laid it fair ; 

Over her eyes that gazed too much 
They drew the lids with a gentle touch ; 

With a tender touch they closed up well 
The sweet thin lips that had secrets to tell ; 

About her brows and beautiful face 
They tied her veil and her marriage lace, 

And drew on her white feet her white silk shoes— 
Which were the whitest no eye could choose — 

And over her bosom they crossed her hands. 
" Come away ! " they said ; " God understands.*' 

And there was silence, and nothing there 
But silence, and scents of eglantere, 

168 



••he and she. 169 

And jasmine, and roses, and rosemary ; 

And they said, " As a lady should lie, lies she." 

And they held their breath till they left the room, 
With a shudder, to glance at its stillness and gloom. 

But he who loved her too well to dread 
The sweet, the stately, the beautiful dead, 

He lit his lamp and took the key 

And turned it — alone again — he and she. 

He and she ; but she would not speak, 

Though he kissed, in the old place, the quiet cheek. 

He and she ; yet she would not smile. 

Though he called her the name she loved erewhile. 

He and she ; still she did not move 
To any one passionate whisper of love. 

Then he said : " Cold lips and breasts without breath, 
Is there no voice, no language of death ? 

" Dumb to the ear and still to the sense, 
But to heart and to soul distinct, intense? 

" See now ; I will listen with soul, not ear ; 
What was the secret of dying, dear ? 

*' Was it the infinite wonder of all 

That you ever could let life's flower fall? 



170 "he and she.** 

" Or was it a greater marvel to feel 
The perfect calm o'er the agony steal ? 

" Was the miracle greater to find how deep 
Beyond all dreams sank downward that sleep ? 

" Did life roll back its records dear, 

And show, as they say it does, past things clear? 

" And was it the innermost heart of the bliss 
To find out so, what a wisdom love is ? 

** O perfect dead ! O dead most dear, 
I hold the breath of my soul to hear ! 

" I listen as deep as to horrible hell, 

As high as to heaven, and you do not telL 

" There must be pleasure in dying, sweet, 
To make you so placid from head to feet ! 

" I would tell you, darling, if I were dead, 

And 'twere your hot tears upon my brow shed, — 

** I would say, though the Angel of Death had laid 
His sword on my lips to keep it unsaid. 

" You should not ask vainly, with streaming eyes, 
Which of all deaths was the chiefest surprise, 

" The very strangest and suddenest thing 
Of all the surprises that dying must bring." 



"he and she." 171 

Ah, foolish world ; O most kind dead ! 

Though he told me, who will believe it was said ? 

Who will believe that he heard her say. 

With the sweet, soft voice, in the dear old way : 

" The utmost wonder is this, — I hear 

And see you, and love you, and kiss you, dear ; 

" And am your angel, who was your bride, 

And know that, though dead, I have never died." 



. RULES FOR PRONUNCIATION. 

A, unmarked like u in but. 

A, marked like a in father. 

E, like a in fate. 

I, unmarked like i in him. 

I, marked as ee in feel. 

O, marked or unmarked like o in gold. 

IJ", marked like u in rule. 

U. unmarked like u in gun. 



PREFACE TO NOTES. 



A FEW summer afternoon ** Conversations" on tlie " Liglit of 
Asia," at the earnest request of the company who listened, are at 
last condensed into these notes. Interpretation rather than criti- 
cism has been my aim, neither have I thought it best to enter into 
any extended discussion of the merits of Buddliist doctrine pre- 
sented or incidentally mentioned. A separate volume would be 
needed for that. Of necessity Mr. Arnold has been obliged to use 
CUiristian phraseology, and as a powerful artist, without being a 
Buddhist or any other sort of a heathen, he has made the most of 
his picture. 

We find it as difficult to becloud Christian words with heathen 
ideas as the heathen find it difficult to attach to their theological 
terms, when used to explain Christianity, the truth, purity and 
clearness of Christian doctrine. 

If the corresponding legends introduced in these notes shall give 
to any one a juster idea of the place Buddhist history holds in 
Oriental literature ; if the translation of Hindu words and descrip- 
tions of Hindu customs shall add to the pleasure of any as they 
strive to comprehend Mr. Arnold's picture ; if the fuller details of 
Brahminical and Buddhist beliefs shall give to any a clearer view 
of the darkness which Buddha with his candle of truth bravely 
strove to illumine ; if any, reading these notes, shall love mankind 
more and Christianity not less, my aim is fulfilled. 

Mrs. I. L. HAUSER. 
Evanston, 111., April 13, 1883. 



175 



EDWIN ARNOLD C. S. I. 



Edwin Arnold was the second son of Robert Coles Arnold, a 
magistrate in Sussex ; he was born June 10, 1831, and was educa- 
ted at King's Scliooi, Rochester, and King's College, London ; and 
was elected to a scholarship at University College, Oxford. In 
1852 he obtained the Newdigate prize for his English poem on the 
Feast of Belshazzar. In 1853 he was elected to address the Earl of 
Derby on his installation as Chancellor of the University. He 
graduated with honor in 1851, and became second master in King 
Edward the Sixth's school in Birmingham, and subsequently was 
appointed principal of the Government Sanskrit College at Poena, 
in Western India. He held the position until 1860, when he was 
compelled to leave his much-loved India, by the death of a child, 
and the illness of his young wife. For nearly twenty years since 
lie has held the position of sub-editor, or editor-in-chief, of the 
London Daily lelegrcqjh, where he has become greatly distin- 
guished as a writer of powerful " leaders." Mr. Arnold has con- 
tributed largely to critical and literary journals, and is the author 
of " Griselda, a Drama;" "Poems Narrative and Lyrical," 
" Education in India," " The Euterpe of Herodotus," a translation 
with notes ; a translation of the "Hitopodesh," or "Book of Good 
Counsels," a Sanskrit work; "The History of Lord Dalhousie's 
Administration," *' The Indian Song of Songs," and the " Light of 
Asia." This last work he began in September of 1878, and though^ 
his duties as editor of the Daily Telegraph were unremitting, lie 
was able, within a year, to have it publislied on both sides the 
Atlantic. Later, Mr. Arnold has translated into verse two books 
from the Mahabharata, " The Iliad of India." 



177 



BUDDHA. 

Op the real history of Buddha comparatively little was Icnowii 
in the Western world until within the present century. Whether 
he ever existed at all was a great question among the best scholars, 
but recent research and comparison of Buddliist works from Cey- 
lon, Burmah, Siam, Thibet, China and Sanskrit works in Indi i 
seems to establish the fact beyond further question. As scholars 
in each of the countries where Buddhism prevails read the works, 
ancient or modern, that proclaimed the greatness and doctrines of 
Buddha, they found them so overgrown witli legends and absurdi- 
ties that it was impossible for them to decide which was truth and 
which falsehood ; but when these works were brought together in 
European studies, and a few earnest scholars set themselves to 
the task of comparison, it was found that on certain points of 
Buddha's life and doctrine there was practical agreement. These 
being gathered out of the mass of nonsense, we now have an in- 
telligible history of Buddha. It should be remembered that com- 
merce, or other intercourse between Cliina, Thibet and India had 
been almost entirely suspended for nearly a thousand years, and 
the thought and traditions of one country had not been affected 
by that of tlie other ; hence it seems evident that a common 
origin in the spread of Buddhism, some fifteen or twenty centuries 
since, must account for the agreement of the Buddliist books of 
those countries on history and doctrine. 

Notliing has been more uncertain about Buddha than the time 
of his life. Professor Wilson enumerates over twenty different 
dates given in Buddhist books, each as reliable as the other, and 
ranging over a thousand years previous to 453 B.C. ; but the most 
careful research, and the balance of Oriental authorities, places 
his birth about G30 b c. 

The story of Buddha'g ante-natal existence is as firmly believed 
in by hii followers as that of the recorded eighty years of his last 
appearance. He is said t,o have passed through an infinitudt- of 
births, in various characters, during ten millions of million and 
cue hundred thousand millions of kalpas, or e*^^ernities. Appear- 
ing as a prince fifty-one times m the Jine of Mahasammata, he 
was therefore fifty-one times his own anc-istor. In every birth he 

17d 



I So 



BUDDHA. 



Is represented as being possessed of rare moral excellence and 
great benevolence. It is said that when he was living as King 
Kannkavarna he gave to a Bodhisattwa — or candidate for Buddha- 
hood — the last morsel of food which long famine had left for his 
sustenance. This act of charity was followed by rain and plenty. 
Again Buddha born as a Brahmin gave his own body to feed a 
famished tigress and her cubs. After this marvel of charity he 
attained the rank of Bodhisattwa, which is only inferior to that 
of Buddha, and lived in the Tushita heaven, where he taught 
his doctrine to innumerable millions of Bodhisattwas, or future 
Buddhas, and was glorified by many strange creatures of Hindu 
mythology. Another account places Buddha as one of the seven 
holy Rishis — saints — each one of whom awaits, in one of the 
seven stars of the Great Bear, final birth or incarceration. In 
other works the occasion of Buddha's b'rtli is differently told. 
Vishnu, one of the Hindu trinity, saw that men, by their extraor- 
dinary strict practice of the doctrines and rites of the Vedas, 
threatened to prove rivals to the gods themselves. In order to 
destroy this power of men, or rather to rob them of it, Vishnu 
became incarnate as Buddha, that he might preach skepticism and 
heterodox doctrines, as atheism, and to destroy hope of im- 
mortality, that men might be reduced to their original weakness, 
and the fears and jealousy of the gods be removed. 

The facts of his mortal life may be briefly told. His father had 
married sisters, Mahamaya and Mahaprajapati. Maliamaya, hav- 
ing come to her forty-fifth year, was about to be delivered of her 
first child, and, in accordance with Hindu custom, had started for 
her father's home. On the way she rested under a satin tree, and 
there gave birth to her boy. Here legend steps in with marvels. 
Buddha at his birth was received by Maha Brahma in a golden 
net, from which he was transferred to the guardians of the four 
quarters, who received him on a tiger's skin ; from these he was 
received by the nobles, who wrapped him in folds of the finest 
and softest cloth ; but at once Bodliisat descended from their 
hands to the ground, and looked to the four points, and the four 
half points ; when he looked toward the nortli he proceeded seven 
steps in that direction, and exclaimed : " I am the most exalted 
in the world. I am chief in the world. I am the most excellent 
in the world. Hereafter there is to me no other birth ! " Upon 
the death of his mother, seven days after, his aunt adopted him 
and nourished him. The story of the trial of his prowess and 
learning at the time of, or just after, his marriage, is probably 
the only authentic bit of his history, as a youth, tiiat remains, and 
tliat is exaggerated beyond all belief. As a prince of the warrior, 
or Kshatriya caste, his training had been in that direction,- though 
he must have been a much more tlian ordinarily meditative 



BUDDHA. l8l 

youth. The impressions made upon his mind by the sip:ht of 
extreme age, suffering and death, do not seem at all improbable or 
unnatural. How often have similar sights made impressions on 
our hearts and lives that we shall never lose ! It is not wonder- 
ful that a man of such remarkably thoughtful and benevolent 
characteristics as Buddha possessed should have had the whole 
course of his life influenced by them. After Buddha's renuncia- 
tion of earthly honors and family ties and love, he spent seven 
days in a mango grove, after which he spent some time at Raja- 
griha ; from thence he went to the jungle near Uruwela, on a 
spur of the Vindhya range, where he spent six years in severe 
penances, until his fame spread, as the Burmese chronicle says, 
" like the sound of a great bell hung in the canopy of the skies." 
Here he found his long-sought quest, that peace of mind that 
comes from absolute surrender of selfish desires, after brave re- 
sistance of the powers of evil. His contest had been long and 
severe. He had much to lose, the way was dark, and the gain 
must have often seemed doubtful. Every earnest soul at some 
time in life, in a greater or less degree, is assailed by like tempta- 
tions and doubts. Tlie greater the man, the greater the conflict. Car- 
lyle's description of his season of temptation when he was obliged 
to decide finally whether he should enter the ministry reads 
wonderfully like Buddha's struggle. 

" I entered into my chamber, and closed the door. And around 
about me there came a trooping throng of phantasms dire, from 
the abysmal depths of nethermost perdition. Doubt, Fear, Un- 
belief, Mockery and Scoffing were there, and I wrestled with them 
in travail and agony of spirit. Thus it was, sir, for weeks. 
Whether I ate I know not, whether I drank I know not, whether 
I slept I know not. But I only know that when I came forth 
again beneath the glimpses of the moon it was with the direful 
persuasion that 1 was the miserable owner of a diabolical appa- 
ratus called a stomach." 

Carlyle came forth to write, Buddha began to preach. 

He went to the deer forest near Benares, and before the rainy 
season closed had sixty converts. These he sent out two by two 
to propagate his doctrines. He now went to his old liume, and 
after bringing over to his views his half brother, his son and 
others, he returned to Rajagriha, where the King Bimbsara gave 
him a bamboo grove and monastery. He spent the rainy seasons 
here, teaching those who gathered about him, and during the dry 
seasons itinerated within a radius of a hundred and fifty miles 
about Benares. For forty-five years he taught and sent forth his 
missionaries. Death came at last to the old man of blameless life 
and found him tranquil, and looking peacefully forward to Nir- 
▼dna. Carefully had he followed in his own life the best light he 



Ib2 13UDDHA. 

had, patiently lie taught others truth, purity and humility, and 
who shall say that his earnest soul, passins^ f rom the imprisonment 
of the body, awoke not to those things which " Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither hav^e entered into the heart of man?" 

Buddha lived in an era of great moral reforms. Throughout the 
known world ritualism had superseded the old and pure faith of 
which scai'cely more than the ancient traditions remained. Men 
were weary of forms. Within the two centuries which Buddha's 
life partly spanned, Confucius, with his wonderful code, appeared 
in China ; in Persia, Zoroaster arose with reforms ; at the court of 
Ahasuerus, Esther and Mordecai plead for justice, and their cry 
was heard from India to Ethiopia ; in Babylon Daniel throughout 
a long life upheld in biilliant example the grandeur of righteous 
living ; in Greece the Delphian temple sunk in ashes, and just 
laws supplanted the tripod ; and in Palestine, Isaiah, Ezekiel, 
Jeremiah and most of the lesser prophets declared against new 
moons, feasts and fasts, and foretold certain destruction for those 
who, in ceremonials, should forget equity and justice. The Great 
Father of all, who has not created any soul and left it in utter 
darkness, He who in tender compassion sent Jonah to preach 
repentance to the people of Nineveh who were at enmity with Him 
and His chosen people, cared also for the millions of India who 
knew not their right hand from their left, and sent Buddha to 
preach a purity and morality that should save the nation from 
destruction. Buddh selected out from the old faith that which 
was noblest and best, and presented it with rare power to such as 
would hear. But the lights of those times, brilliant as they shone 
in the surrounding darkness, paled before a later Light that leads 
on to perfect day. The burden of Buddha's doctrine is not to, 
not to, not to. Positive, heroic, stalwart righteousness he dared 
not teach. A hero himself, he found the battle harder than any 
but rare spirits bear, and he could offer men no help outside of 
themselves. Of a highly poetic and speculative nature, he looked 
eagerly into the future for those who should fulfill the law. Con- 
fucius, more practical and w^aiiting in inutgination, answered no 
questions as to the future. In the old faith Buddha found Nir- 
vana, absorption into Brahm, but his soul shrunk from contact with 
the unholy diviuities of the Brahmins. In accordance with that 
law of the mind that causes the Mohammedan to look for heaven 
as a place of sensual enjoyments ; that teaches the Greenlander to 
describe hell as a place of intense cold ; that led the Jew, with his 
love of costly things, to picture heaven as built of gold and precious 
stones ; that gives to the American Indian a hope of happy hunt- 
ing grounds. Nirvana, under Buddha's teaching, became a state 
free from irritation, action or even consciousness, a mere abstrac- 
tion. The East Indian, under an enervating climate, where exer- 



BUDDHA. 183 

tion of mind or body, wlietlier for good or ill, is a br.rden, can 
understand tins. Its intense undisturbed selfishness lias fjreat 
attraction for him. Like all religionist^, he seeks to begin his 
heaven here below. He cuts loose from family ties that he may be 
rid of its cares ; he takes the beggar's bowl and rob(^, that h" may 
not be subject to the discomfort of providing even for himself ; he 
fixes his attention on the top of his nose, and in utter disregard of 
all claims, dreams his life away. 

Buddha had a noble purpose, but long since its vitality and 
power to benefit mankind was exhausted. In his own words, 
" The lamp whose oil is spent flickers not." 



NOTES. 

BOOK THE FIRST. 

1. Buddha : — He by whom tlie truth is known. In India Wed- 
nesday is called Buddh-ka-din — the day of Buddh. Buddha lived 
to great age, hence his name is commonly used as an adjectivo 
noun in India, and applied to old people. 

2. JSidddrtha : — He by wliom the end is accomplished, is tho 
translation usually given of this name. Turnour translates it, 
the establishes The occasion of Buddha's reception of this name 
occurred many ages before his birth as a Buddh. When sitting 
in his palace as a prince, in that far-off age, " having seen Dipan- 
kara Bodhisat carrying the almsbowl, he sent an attendant to in- 
quire what was his business, when he was informed that he was 
seeking oil. On hearing this the prince called him to his palace. 

I and filling a golden vessel with oil of white mustard seed, Sid- 
1 harttha put it upon his head, saying at the same time, * By vir- 
^ tue of this act may I hereafter become a Buddh ; and as this is 
I sidharttha oil, may my name in that birth be Sidharttha.' " * The 
I Brahmins collected at the festival upon his birth said : " This 
I prince will hereafter be a blessing to the world — sidhatta ; tohim- 
l selt also will be great prosperity ;" in consequence of which he 
I was called Sidhartta. 

i 3. Below the highest sphere four Regents sit : — The following 
I description of these spheres and their inhabitants, from Wilson's 
I Vishnu Puiana, vol. ii, 2G1, gives the best idea of the Hindu 
\ heavens : "On the Lokaloka mountain reside the four holy pro- 
tectors of the world, or Sudhaman and Sankhapad (the two sons 
of Kardama), and Hiranyaroman, and Ketumat. Unaffected by 
the contrasts of existence, void of selfishness, active and unen- 
cumbered by dependents, they take charge of the spheres, them- 
selves abiding on the four cardinal points of the Lokaloka 
mountain. 

" On the south of Agastya, and south of the line of the Goat, 
exterior to the Vaiswanara jiath, lies the road of the Pitris. There 

* Manual of Luddhism, pa e &4. 
185 



1 86 NOTES. 

dwell the great Rishis — in Ursa Major — the officers of oblations 
with fire, reverencing the Vedas, after whose injunctions creation 
commenced, and who were discharging the duties of ministrant 
priests. For as the worlds are destroyed and renewed they insti- 
tute new rules of conduct and re-establish the interrupted ritual 
of the Vedas. Mutually descending from each other, progenitor 
springing from descendant, and descendant from progenitor, in 
the alternating succession of births, they repeatedly" appear in 
different houses and races — along with posterity, devout practices 
and instituted observances — residing to the south of the solar orb, 
as long as the moon and stars endure. 

"The path of the gods lies to the north of the solar sphere, 
north of Nagavithi — Aries and Taurus — and south of the seven 
Rishis — Ursa Major. There dwell Siddhas, of subdued senses, 
continent and pure, undesirous of progeny, and, therefore, vic- 
torious over death. Eighty-eight thousand of these chaste beings 
tenant the regions of the sky north of the sun, until the destruc- 
tion of tlue universe ; they enjoy immortality, for they are holy, 
exempt from covetousuess and concupiscence, love and hatred ; 
taking no part in the procreation of living beings ; and detecting 
the unreality of the properties of elementary matter. By immor- ■ 
tality is meant existence to the end of the'kalpa. liife as long 
as the three regions — earth, sky and heaven — last is called ex- 
emption from reiterated death. 

"The space between the seven Rishis and Dhruva — from Ursa 
Major to the polar star — the third region of the sky, is the splen- 
did celestial path of Vishnu, and the abode of those sanctified 
ascetics who are cleansed from every evil, and in whom virtue 
and vice are annihilated. This is that excellent place of Vishnu 
to which those repair in whom all sources of pain are extinct, in 
consequence of the cessation of — the consequences of — piety or 
iniquity, and where they never sorrow any more. There abide 
Dharma, Dhruva and other spectators of the world, radiant with 
the superhuman faculties of Vishnu acquired through religious 
meditation ; and there are fastened and inwoven, too, all that is, 
and all that ever shall be, animate or inanimate." 

4. Thrice ten thousand years: — A year of the seven Rishis is 
8030 years. The sacred books do not agree in giving names of 
the Rishis. The Mahabharata has three lists, each ditfering. Mr. 
Wilson mentions seven other authorities, each of which gives dif- 
ferent names. Gotama name appears in some, but is omitted 
in others. The Vishnu Parana mentions three kinds of Rishis, 
divine Rishis — or sages who are demi-gods also, asNarada — Brah- 
min Rishis — or sages who are sons of Brahma or Brahmins, as 
Vusishtha and others — and royal Rishis, or princes who have 
adopted a life of devotion, as Viswamitra and Buddha, or Gotama, 



NOTES. 187 

5. Mve sure signs of birth : — Mr. Spence Hardy mentions but 
four. *' 1. His garments lose their appearance of purity. 2. 
The garlands and ornaments on his body begin to fade. 3. The 
body emits a kind of perspiration, like a tree covered with dew. 
4. The mansion in which he resided loses its attractiveness and 
beauty." The same signs, as distinguishing gods from men, are 
spoken of in the Mahabharata that was composed many centuries 
before the Buddhist era. At the Swayamvara, or tournament of 
the beautiful Damayanti, *' she glanced around her at the glitter- 
ing crowd of suitors, and saw in her dismay that there were five 
Nalas in the hall, for each of the four bright gods had taken 
upon himself the form of Nala. And Damayanti trembled with 
fear, and after a while she folded her hands in reverence to the 
gods, and said in sad and humble tones : * Since I heard the lan- 
guage of the swan I have clrosen Nala for my lord, and have thought 
of no other husband. Therefore, gods, I pray you that you re- 
sume your own immortal shapes and reveal Nala to me, that I may 
choose him for my lord in the presence of all.' And the gods 
heard the piteous prayer of Damayanti, and they wondered at her 
steadfast truth and fervent love ; and straightway they revealed 
the J;okens of their godhead. Then Damayanti saw the four 
bright gods, and knew that they were not mortal heroes, for their 
feet tfeuched not the earth, and their eyes winked not ; and no 
perspiration hung upon their brows, nor dust upon their raiment, 
and their garlands were as fresh as if the flowers were just gath- 
ered. And Damayanti also saw the true Nala, for he stood before 
her with shadow falling to the ground, and twinkling eyes, and 
drooping garland ; and moisture was on his brow, and dust upon 
his raiment ; and she knew that he was Nala. Then she went in 
all maidenly modesty to Nala, and took the hem of his garment, 
and threw a wreath of radiant flowers round his neck, and thus 
chose him for her lord." * 

6. Devas : — Gods, or bright ones. 

7. Sdkyas : — This name has no place in Hindu mythology or 
geography ; they are supposed to have been a people living on the 
border of Nepal, and formerly called Okkaka. 

8. Suddhodana : — He whose food is pure. 

9. Maya, the Queen : — Illusion, sometimes called Maha Maya — 
great illusion, or Deve Maya — Divine illusion. 

10. An elephant : — In Burmah it is believed that Buddha, in his 
manifold transmigrations, must necessarily delight to abide for 
some time in that grand incarnation of purity which they consider 
represented by the white elephant. While the bonzes teach that 
there is no spot in the heavens above, or the earth below, or the 

♦ Wheeler's History 0/ India, vol. i, 4&1. 



1 88 NOTES. 

waters under the earth, which is not visited in the peregrin- 
ations of Buddha — whose every step or stage is towardpari- 
fication — they hold that his tarrying may be longer in the white 
elephant than in any other abode, and that in possession of the 
sacred animal they may possess the presence of Buddha him 
self. 

11. Vahuka : — The cow on whose horn the earth rests ; when 
tired she tosses her burden to the other horn, hence earth- 
quakes. Hindu geography states that this cow stands on an 
elephant, the elephant on a tortoise, the tortoise on — ' ' who 
knows ? " 
13. And over half the earth a lovely light 

Forewent the morn. The strong hills shook ; the waves 
Sank lulled ; all powers that Mow hy day came forth 
As 'twere high noon ; down to the farthest hells 
Passed the Queen's joy, as when warm sunshine thrills 
Wood-glooms to gold, and into all the deeps 
A tender tchisper pierced. 
Mr. Hardy, in the Manual of Buddhism, enumerates thirty- 
two great wonders that occurred at the time of conception. " The 
10,000 sakwalas — systems of worlds — trembled at once ; there 
was in each a preternatural light, so that they Avere all equally 
illuminated at the same moment ; the blind from their birth re- 
ceived power to see ; the deaf heard the joyful noise ; the dumb 
burst forth into songs ; the lame danced ; the crooked became 
straight ; those in confinement were released from bonds ; the fires 
of all the hells were extinguished, so that they became cool as 
water, and the bodies of all therein were as pillars of ice ; the 
thirst of pretas — famished spirits — and the hunger of all other 
beings was appeased ; the fears of the terrified fled away ; the dis- 
eases of the sick were cured ; all beings forgot their enmity to 
each other ; bulls and buffaloes roared in triumph ; horses, asses 
and elephants joined in the acclaim ; lions sent forth the thunder 
of their voices ; instruments of music spontaneously uttered 
sounds ; the devas put on their most splendid ornaments ; in all 
countries lamps Avcre lighted of themselves ; the winds were 
loaded with perfumes ; clouds arose though it was not the season 
of rain, and the whole of the 10,000 sakwalas were watered at 
once ; the earth opened, and fountains of water sprang up in 
various places • the flight of the birds was arrested as they passed 
through the air ; the stream of the rivers was stopped, as if to look 
at Bodhisat ; the waves of the sea became placid, and its waters 
sweet ; the whole surface of the ocean was covered with flowers ; 
the buds upon the land and the water became fully expanded ; 
every creeper and tree was covered with flowers from the root to 
the top ; the rocka abounded with the seven species of water 



NOTES. 189 

lilies ; even beams of dry wood put forth flowers, so that the 
earth resembled one extensive garden ; the sl?:y was covered as with 
a floral canopy, and flowers were showered from tlie heavens ; the 
10,000 salcwalas were all thus covered alike ; and great favors were 
everywhere received." 

Similar manifestations are frequently recorded in Hindu writ- 
ings, with this difference, however: they are seldom narrated at 
such length as in Buddhist writings, and lack the all-pervading 
element of peace and happy accord. In either Vedic or Brahmin- 
ical traditions, some enemy almost invariably appears to mar the 
harmony. 

13. The gray dream-readers : — Brahmins who make the inter- I 
pretation of dreams and the understanding of the mysteries of | 
astrology specialties. ^| 

14. The Crab is in conjunction with the Sun : — The event occurred g 



on the day of the full moon of the month Mskla. — July, August. 3 

15. Palsa : — Satin tree. 
The marks, thirty and tico, of blessed birth : — Marks of Vishnu, 

some of them as follows: "The feet of Buddha were like two 
golden sandals. There was a cliakra, or wheel, in the center of 
the sole. The palms and soles appeared like richly ornamented 
windows. His body did not collect dust or dirt, as the lotus is 
not defiled by the mud in the midst of which it grows. His teeth 
shone like the stars of a constellation . His tongue was so long 
that by putting it out he could touch his forehead, or the orifices 
of his ears. His eyes were blue, and sparkled like sapphires. 
Upon his forehead was a lock of hair curling toward the right." 

16. Palanquin : — See illustration in Webster's Unabridged. 

17. Were the four Regents of the Earth, come down 
From Mount Siimeru. 

The Vedas name the following as regents of the four quarters : 
Kuvera, the regent of the North, and god of riches ; Yama, 
regent of the South, and judge of the dead; Indra, regent 
of the East, and god of the clouds or heaven ; Varuna, regent of the 
West, and god of the ocean or waters. In Buddhist writings their 
names are Dhratarashtra, Wirudha, Wirupaksha andjWaisrawana. 
The attendants of each number a hundred thousand times ten 
millions. Mount Sumeru is described in Hindu geography as a 
sacred mountain composed of gold and gems, situated somewhere in 
the center of the earth, which they suppose to be flat like a round 
table. Sumeru is the residence of the gods, is broader at the top 
than at the base, and is yet undiscovered by man. Around this 
mount is our earth, surrounded by an ocean of salt water of the 
same diameter as the earth. Surrounding this, in regular suc- 
cession, always doubling the diameter, are seven circular islands 
and oceans: Ist ocean, salt water, 2d milk, 3d curds, 4th melted 



190 NOTES. 

butter, 5tli sugar-cane juice, 6tli lioney, 7tli fresli water. 
Hindu authorities differ greatly in descriptions of Mount Snnieru ; 
no two agree as to its sliape and dimensions. The Buddhists of 
Ceylon claim that Sumeru is of the same diameter throughout. 
Those of Nepal conceive it to be shaped like an Indian drum. 

18. Kumhhandas : — One of the signs of the Indian Zodiac is 
Kumblui, a white man holding a water jar. These arc of 
immense size and disgusting form. 

Ndgas : — are serpent deities. The upper half of their bodies 
is of human form, the lower serpent. They dwell in Patala, 
below the earth, a place of sensual pleasures, and lighted by 
resplendent gems. The origin of the mythological ISJagas is 
shrouded in much mystery. A powerful Scythian race in ancient 
times lived in the mountainous regions, and worshiped the snake 
as a national deity, adopting it as a national emblem ; and from 
these circumstances seems to have been derived the name of 
Nagas or serpents. These Nagas made constant raids upon the 
Brahminical nations, inspiring them with terror and an abject 
fear, that led them to worship, in hope of appeasing, the god of 
their enemies. The Nagas as a people have almost entirely dis- 
appeared from India, but the myth and the old fear remain. In 
the latter part of August a day is held sacred to snakes and 
numerous religious fairs are held for their special worship. On 
that day the women pour milk into snake holes, the doors of 
houses are smeared with cow-dung and neem leaves as a preserva- 
tive against poisonous snakes ; and in Benares is a well, called a 
snake well, where people bathe. 

19. Yakshas : — Brahma, in one stage of the creation, produced 
beings hunger bitten, hideous and long-bearded. Some of these 
cried out, *' Oh, preserve us !" and hence were called Rakshas, 
from rakh to preserve; others cried, "Let us eat !" and hence 
were termed Yakshas, from yaksh to eat. They are demi-gods 
with few peculiar attributes, and are regarded only as the compan- 
ions or attendants of Kuvera, the god of wealth. Occasionally 
they appear as the imps of evil, but in general their character is 
inoffensive. 

20. For Heavemcas filled loith gladness for Earth's sake. The 
legend says that the Maha Bramas — chief divinities — of the 
10,000 sakwalas — system of worlds — brought umbrellas twelve 
miles high, to be held over the infant's head as a canopy, and the 
gods and men of each of these systems brought flowers, golden cas- 
kets, tiaras, frontlets, perfumes, red sandal-wood, and other gifts, 
while they acknowledged Buddha's supremacy. The thirty-two 
wonders seen at the time of his conception were also repeated. 

21. Cliakravartm : — A. wheel king, one of the twelve universal 
monarchs who arise at long distfl \i periods to rule the entire 



NOTES. 191 

world. Professor Wilson translates it, "He wlio abides in, or 
rules over, an extensive territory called acliakra." 

22. Tlie cliakra-vatna : — A cliakra is a radiated metallic ring- 
used as a missile weapon ; it was thrown wliile revolving rapidly 
on a rod, and was a most dangerous weapon in ancient warfare, as 
its sliarp edge cut in pieces anything witli which it came in con- 
tact. The chakra is the discus of Vishnu, his distinguishing 
weapon. Ratna signifies a gem, and is used adjectively, or as we 
sometimes say, "a gem of a horse," or "a gem of a wife." The 
chakravartin, having arrived at a suitable age, reflects upon the 
merit he has gained in former existences, when the seven gi fts 
appear, one after another in the air, and having performed 
marvels, take up their abode in his palace. The chakra was 
ultimately converted into the prayer wheel of the Buddhists. 

23. A8wa : — Horse. 

24. HciHti .-—Elephant. 

25. Mri:—\N\iQ. 

26. the icays were sioept : — In the larger cities of India. 

gangs of men are constantly employed to sweep the principal 
streets daily, which they do for their entire length and breadth, 
with brooms about two feet long, made of bamboo splints and 
without handles. On the occasion of the advent of a prince or 
other notable, his route is ascertained beforehand and carefully 
swept. When the Governor General, Sir John Lawrence, entered 
Lucknow in 1867, the road for three miles between the depot and 
the Residency, the place of reception, was swept on tlie morning 
of his arrival, and sprinkled by men who carried the water in 
great skins on their backs. That rose odors were not added to the 
water, the natives would set down to what they consider the parsi- 
mony of the English, in making arrangements for display on court 
occasions. 

27. lamps and flags : — The lamps are usually tiny earthen 

saucers filled with oil and a lighted wick set in one side, or on 
grand occasions, talq bowls are half filled with water, on which 
floats oil and a lighted wick. Hundreds and thousands of the lights 
are used with wonderful effect. The flags are generally of gold or 
silver tinsel. 

28. lohUe merry crowds 

Gaped on the sicord-players. 

The itinerant tricksters who appear on such occasions perform in 
the open air, without screens or admission fee, hence all may ^vit- 
ness the sports. Persons of wealth or rank frequently make it a 
point to fee the performer, while the poorer spectators exclaim at 
their greatness and benevolence. The sword-players are simply 
marvelous in their dexterous use of sharp weapons. While per- 
torming, they wear only a turban, and a piece of cloth about the 



1 92 NOTES. 

loins. One of their principal feats is to keep four or five large 
butcher knives spinning in the air for five minutes or more 
Each knife is caught in its descent and tossed witli such accuracy 
that the distance between the flying knives differs scarcely a 
finger's breadth. 

29. The jugglers : — seldom have more than two or three men in 
a company. They carry a couple of round shallow covered baskets 
swung on a pole. Their dress is scanty and without sleeves. 
They have neither curtains, nor tents, nor closets for retirement, 
and yet with their simple outfits they are able to perform wonders 
that would nonplus our western necromancers. 

80. Tlie nautch-girls in their spangled skirts and hells. Dancing 
girls. Their skirts are often broidered or sewn thick with gold 
or silver spangles, and their veils are frequently set close round 
the border with mirrors, each about an inch in diameter. ^I'lny 
bells in shape of fruits or blossoms are strung around their 
ankles, or worn on their toe rings. 

31. Bringing, on tidings of this hirth, rich gifts 
In golden trays. 

It is a custom in India that none dare neglect to send presents to 
a family when a boy is first born. These are always carried on shal 
low trays, usually of brass, but, if possible, of richer metal. 

32. Goat-shawls : — These shawls are made of the soft hair of 
the Cashmere goat, and are often of such fine and delicate texture 
that a shawl two yards square can be drawn through a finger 
ring. 

33. Nard : — Spikenard, being a native of India, is much used as 
a perfume. 

34. Turkises : — Turquois. 

35. Asita : — is a name not common in Hindu mythology or his- 
tory ; it seems to have always been borne by men of more than 
average piety and understanding. In the Vishnu Purana, Asita is 
said to have communicated to Janaka the following stanzas that 
were chanted by the earth. "How great is the folly of princes, 
who are endowed with the faculty of reason, to cherish the con- 
fidence of ambition, when they themselves are but foam upon the 
wave ! Before they subdue themselves they seek to reduce their 
ministers, their servants, their subjects, under their authority ; 
they then endeavor to overcome their foes. * Thus,' say they, 
' will we conquer the ocean-encircled earth ; ' and intent upon 
their project, behold not death, which is not far off. But what 
mighty matter is the subjugation of the sea-girt earth to one who 
can subdue himself? Emancipation from existence is the fruit of 
self-control. It is through infatuation that kings desire to posses£ 
me, whom their predecessors have been forced to leave, whom 
their fathers have not retained. Beguiled by the selfish love of 



NOTES. 193 

sway, fathers contend with song, and "brothers with brothers, for 
my possession. Foolishness has been the character of every k'aig 
wiio has boasted, * All this earth is mine — everything is mine — it 
\vill be my home forever ; ' for he is dead. How is it possible thai 
such vain desires should survive in the hearts of his descendants, 
who have seen their progenitor, absorbed in the thirst of domin- 
ion, compelled to relinquish me, whom he called his own, and 
tread the path of dissolution? When I hear a king sending word 
to another, by his ambassador, ' This earth is mine ; immediately 
resign your pretensions to it,' T am moved to violent laughter, at 
first, but it subsides in pity for the infatuated fool." 

This wisdom, in truth, can scarcely be accredited to the Asita of 
the poem, but is certainly worthy of the man who, without fault, 
was prime minister to the king of one generation, the trusted 
adviser of the second, and saint, in the time of Buddha, of the 
third generation. If the legend were true, there would be small 
wonder that Asita heard Devas singing, deaf as he was ; for it is 
said that at the time of Buddha's birth the Sekras brought conches- 
one hundred and twenty cubits long, the blast of which rolled on 
without ceasing during four and a half months, and the Pan, 
chasikas brought harps twelve miles long. 

36. thereupon he touched 

Eight times the dust. 

Before the supreme teachers obeisance must be made by th«u 
prostration of the body, with the application of eight parts: the 
forehead, eyes, breast, hands, knees and insteps of the feet, words 
and mind to the ground. 

37. — the rosy light : — Aureole. 

38. — ihe foot-sole marks : — The telling of fortunes in India 
by the lines upon the soles of the feet corresponds to 
palmistrv in Europe and America ; the fortunate signs are, a 
wheel with many spokes, an umbrella, an elephant's trunk, a 
lotus. Mount Meru, the sun, the moon, a tiger, mystic crosses and 
many other imaginary representations. 

39. 2he Swastika : — Mystical figure, the inscription of whicl't 
oi\ any person or thing is generally considered to be lucky, 
Wilson's Sanskrit Dictionary. In the Vishnu Purana it is de- 
scribed as "a particular diagram used in mystical ceremonies." 
'' This figure is found in many magical diagrams, and in Run'/c 
inscriptions and amulets ; it is the hammer of Tlior ; it is seen jn 
some ancient Etruscan vases that were dug up at Rome in 1817. It is 
also very commonly seen on the ancient coins that were struck 
by the Buddhist monarchs of India."* 



* Manual of Buddhism, page 381. 



T94 NOTES. 

40. 77ie sacred jjmnal signs tMriy and two, 
The eighty lesser tokens. 

Mr. Hardy enumerates all these signs and tokens, also 
the larger part of two hundred and sixteen inferior marks, Tiie 
repetition of these would be tedious and profitless. The follow- 
ing description of a Jain saint adequately conveys the idea: 
"Beauty of form, fragrance of his body, the white color of his 
blood, curling hair, and its non-increase, also that of the beard 
and nails, his exemption from all natural hifirmities and decay; 
these qualities are born with him. He can collect around hiiu 
millions of beings — gods, men and animals — in a comparatively 
small space ; his voice is audible to a great distance, and his 
language, which is Arddha, Magadha, is intelligible to animals, 
men and gods. The back of his head is surrounded by a halo of 
light brighter than the disk of the sun. For an immense distance 
around him, wherever he moves, neither sickness, storms, war, 
nor troubles of any sort occur. Other attributes, or marks of 
Vishnu, are of a celestial origin, as the raining of flowers, 
perfumes, the sound of heavenly drums, and the menial offices 
rendered by Indra and the gods." * 

41. Tliis is that Blossom on our huriian tree 
Which opens once in r)iany myriad years. 

Buddhists and Hindus both believe that our earth has been 
created and destroyed many times. In the process of creation 
"the part where the sacred tree of Buddha is to appear is the 
first spot of earth that is found, as it is the last spot destroyed 
at the end of a kalpa. To point out this place a lotus appears ; 
and if a Buddha is to be born in that kalpa a flower will be 
expanded ; but if there is to be no Buddha there will be no 
flower, f 

43. a sword must pierce 

Thy bowels for this hoy. 
This is addressed to the father, and signifies that he must 
bear bitter disappointment in not seeing his son become a 
chakravartin, or universal monarch. 

43 whilst thou, sweel Queen ! 

Dear to all gods and men for this great hirth. 
Henceforth art grown too sacred for more looe. 
And life is woe, therefore in seven days 
Painless thou shalt attain the close of pain. 
The reward of becoming the mother of a Buddha is to be trans, 
lated in seven days thereafter to a highest heaven. The mothers 
of each of the thousands of Buddhas that are supposed to have 
appeared have all died on the seventh day after the birth. 

* Wilaon's Essays on the Religion of tlio Hindus, vol, i, siSO. 
t Manual of Buddhism, p. 2J„_^ 



NOTES. 195 

44. Trdyastrinfthns Ueamn : — The ultimate abode, whose 
dwellers are liberated and escaped from all dangers of earth. 

45. MaMprajaimti : — This princess and Mahamaya were sisters, 
and both queens of Suddhodana, On the day she was named, tiie 
diviners saw that she Avould be the mother or mother-in-law of a 
chakravartin, so called her Prajapati — lord of the world. As 
children the sisters were of remarkable merit. No intoxicatini^ 
liquor touched their 1 ps ; even in play they never told an untruth, 
or Ivilled even an insect ; as queens ''they lived together like two 
srikantawas in one lotus tiower." This princess was the first wo- 
man admitted to holy orders, and the first of Buddha's disciples to 
enter Nirvana. The legend tells of a hundred royal wet-nurses, 
all without blemish and of perfect form, and a hundred and sixty 
thousand attendant princes. 

46. W/ien th" eightJiyedr passed : — The sons of Brahmins and the 
ml ng- classes are invested with the sacred cord, and taught for the 
first certain sacred syllables and prayers when about nine years 
of age. 

47. Yisirnmitra : — The name of the author of the hymns in the 
third Rig Veda, composed about 1500 B C Another Viswamitra 
was an ancient prince of the warrior caste who opposed Brah- 
min ism, 

48. Gdyatri : — Sacred meter, peculiar to certain of the Yedas, 
or a verse from the Vedas, Williams' Sanskrit Grammar defines 
it "as consisting of a triplet of three divisions of eight syllables 
each, or six feet of four syllables each, and generally printed in 
one line ; the quantity of each syllable is very irregular. The fol- 
lowing verse exhibits the most usual quantities : 

^. . , I u— U. I .... I U— U. I . . . .U -U.|| " 
The gayatri in the poem for three thousand years has held its 
place as the most sacred sentence in Hindu literature, and is the 
prayer recited daily by thousands of devout Hindus. The most 
usual translation is the following: " Om, earth, sky, heavens. 
We meditate on that adorable light of the resplendent sun, may it 
direct our intellects." It occurs in the third book of the Rig 
Veda. The last hymn in this book consist s*of six prayers ; the 
one containing the gayatri is as follows : " This new and excellent 
praise of thee, O splendid, playful sun, is offered by us to thee. 
Be gratified by this my speech. Approach this craving mind as a 
fond man seeks a woman. May that sun who contemplates and 
looks into all worlds be our protection. Let us meditate on the 
adorable light of the divine ruler ; may it guide our intellects. 
Desirous of food, we solicit the gift of the splendid sun, who 
should be studiously worshiped. Venerable men, guided by un- 
derstanding, salute the divine sun with oblations and praise." * 

* Hand book of Sanskrit Literature. 



196 



NOTES. 



This Gfayatri is personified as tlie wife of Brahma. The Brah- 
min wlio pronounces the gayatri is absolved from all sin. " By 
the sole repetition of tlie gayatri, a priest may indubitably attain 
l)eatitude, let him perform or not perform any other religious act."* 
The woman, sudra — low caste person or barbarian — who should 
dare pronounce the sacred words of the gayatri, it is believed 
would bring upon herself the most signal punishment from 
heaven. 

49. Achdrya : — A religious teacher, " That priest who girds his 
pupil with the sacrificial cord, and afterwards instructs him in the 
whole Veda, with the law of sacrifice, and the sacred Upanishads, 
holy sages call an Acharya." f 

50. iSfdgri : — Language of the northern Hindus. 

51. DaksJdn : — Language of the southern Hindus. 

52. Ni : — Language of the Peris. 

53. Mangal : — Language of the Tartars. 

54. Parusha : — Language of the Ancients. 

55. Yava : — Language of Moderns. 

56. Tirthl : — Language of the Pilgrims, 

57. Uk : — Language of the Herons. 

58. Darad : — Language of modern Cinnebar. 

59. Sikhydni : — Language of the Teachers. 

60. Man.a : — Language of the Sages. 

6L Madhydchdr : — Intelligible to men and animals. 

62. And those who flame adore and the sun's orb : — Persians. 

63. XaM ;— 100,000. 

Any earthly method of computation would fail entirely to 
convey in figures the sums of the boy's numeration. All the 
matter of all the worlds counted in molecules could not express 
an asankya. The reader may obtain some idea of its magnitude 
by the following table : 

10 dasa or decenniums make. . . 

10 saus or hundreds " 1 hazar or thousand 

100 bazars or thousands " 1 lakh 



,1 sau or hundred 



100 lahks. 



" 1 koti or kela 



100 lakhs of kotis " 1 prakoti 



1 koti of prakotis. 
1 koti of kotiprakotis. 



,1 koti prakoti 
.1 nahuta 



1 koti of nahutas " 1 ninuahuta 

1 koti of ninnahutas ** 1 hutanahuta 

1 koti of hutanahutas ** 1 kliamba 

1 koti of khambas '* 1 wiskhamba 

1 koti of wiskhambas " 1 abada 

1 koti of abadas " 1 attata 



* Laws of Manu, No. 87. 
+ Laws of Manu, No. 140. 



NCJTES. 197 

I Roti of attatas , ^ . .make 1 alialia 

I koti of alialias " 1 kuniuda 

1 koti of kumudas. ....... " 1 g-andliika 

1 koti of gandhikas. . c .-,. e " 1 iitpala 

1 koti of utpalas " 1 puudarika 

1 koti of pundarikas. r " 1 padiima 

1 koti of padumas. . .- r " 1 katlui 

1 koti of katlias " 1 malia katlia 

1 koti of malia katlitld " 1 asankya* 

An asankya could be represented by one hundred and twenty- 
nine figures. 

64. Antah-Kalpns : — A kalpa is a measure of time indicating 
eternity. A kalpa represents a day and a night of the god 
Brahm, or the time of the creation of the world, and the time of 
its extinction until the creation of another world. The length of 
a kalpa is thus described : *' Take a rock forming a cube of about 
sixteen miles, touch it once in a hundred years with the finest 
piece of cloth, and the roclc will sooner be reduced to dust than a 
kalpa shall end." Another definition is: "A palya or kalpa is a 
period measured by the time in which a vast well, eight hundred 
miles every way, filled with minute hairs so closely packed that a 
river hurried over them without penetrating the interstices could 
be emptied at the rate of one hair a century, f Were the earth to 
increase in elevation one inch in a century, the elevation would 
extend to twenty-eight miles before an antah-kalpa would be 
concluded." " Twenty antah-kalpas make an asankya-kal pa ; four 
asankya-kalpas make a maha-kalpa. " 

65. Cror ;— 10,000,000. 

66. Paramaiius : — The invisible base of all aggregate bodies. 

67. Parasukshma : — Fairy atom. 

68. Trasarene : — Ten trasarenes make one particle of dust. 

69. Likhya : — A stroke of the pen. 

70. Yuka : — A louse. 

71. Mung : — Pulse. 

72. A breath: — The distance to which a cooly can carry the 
native yoke, with a load attached at either end, without putting 
down the burden. 

73. Goic : — Two to two and a half miles. 

74. Yojana : — The length of a yojana varies greatly — from four 
and a half miles to sixteen miles. 

75. Ouru : — Master. 

76. Devadatta : — Signifies god-given, a common name in India. 
This Devadatta is one of the five persons of whom it is recorded 

* Manual of Buddhism, p. 6. 

t Wilson's lieligious of the Hindus, vol, 1, 308. 



98 



NOTES. 



they went, to naraJca — hell. TTis offense was tlint lie tempted some 
of the followers of r>uddlia to forsake him, and fojl into here-sv. 

77. Divan : — Court. 

78, A liooded snake, : — Cobra. 

70. the pile flames for me : — Cremation, 

80. Tfi the mango -sprays ; — The mango is a spreading tree of 
rapid growth, thirty to forty feet in lieiglit, the stem only rising 
eight or ten feet before it divides into brandies. The dark glossy 
leaves, about eight inches in length, liave a sweet resinous smell, 
and are so densely set as to be impenetrable to the sun's burning 
rays, and form a most grateful shade. The fruit is abundant and 
highly prized. 

81. Su,i-hirds : — Paroquets. 

82. Mynas : — Indian robin. 

83. Egret : — A dark, plain plumaged bird, that is a constant com- 
panion of the black, hairless, domestic buffalo. 

84. Abovt the painted temple peacoelcs fleio : — The Hindu temples 
are built of brick and stuccoed over with a white cement. Its 
shining surface is gayly ornamented with outlined paintings of 
gods, saints, sacred animals and geometric designs. Peacocks are 
considered sacred, and '.ften bel:ng to temples, 

85. The blue doves cooed, from every icell : — The wells are built up 
with wide masonry curbrj, on the top of which are little shallows 
for resting the round \v^ater jars. The water gathers in these shal- 
lows, and from them the birds drink. In the temporary wells, 
dug in the sand, doves build ^lieir nests in the holes in the sides. 

86. Village drums : — are the constant attendants of feasts, and 
are beaten almost without cessation, night and day, during the 
two, three or four days of feasting. 

87. Bulb id : — Nightingale. 

88. Jambu-tree : — In Jambudwipa, a fabulous country supposed 
to lie south of Mount Sumeru, is a wonderful tree called the 
jambti-tree. It is one thousand miles high, covers a space three 
tliousand miles in circumference, and bears continually a golden 
fruit as large as a water vessel capable of holding sixteen gallons. 
"The fable probably arises in an exaggerated account of a pine 
tree — the deodar, god wood — found in the Himalaya mountains. 
It grows to great size, and bears catkins of a bright yellow color in 
great profusion. The wind shakes from these a golden dust that 
ajiparently sheets the ground with gold for some distance about the 
tree." * The deodar pine, however, grows only on the mountains 
at an elevation of seven thousand feet or higher, and could not 
survive at Kapilavastu on the hot, dry plain. The introduction of 
the jambu-tree in the poem, though allowed by poetic license. 



* Manual of Buddhism. 



NOTES. 



T99 



hardly accords witli fact. A nimbii, or lemon tree, moro probably 
sbiuled. the young philosopher. 

89. Dhyaiui : — Contemplation, the first of the four stages to- 
ward Bnddhaliood. 

93. Jiishis : — Saints. 



BOOK THE SECOND. 



1. ChampnJcs : — Trees bearing gold colored flowers so exceeding- 
ly fragrant that the bees seldom alight on them. The timber is 
used in ship building. The tree is sacred to Vishnu. Michelia 
champaca. 

2. Suhha : — Pleasant or spring palace. 

3. Suramma : — Winter palace. 

4. Ramma : — Summer palace. 

5. Maharaja : — Great prince, 

6. Barasiugh : — Great-horned deer. 

7» Command a festival 

Where the realm's 7naids shall be competitors 
III youth and grace. 

In Vedic times the daughters of princes had the choice of a hus- 
band from a crowd of candidates for her hand, or was given as a 
prize to that warrior who proved most skillful in the use of the 
bow. In Buddha's case he seems to have been given the choice 
first, and showed his prowess afterward. This day of choice by 
a maiden was called her Swayamvara. The description of the 
young Rajas — princes — as they appeared at the Swayamvara of 
Damayanti, is a fine companion picture to Mr. Arnold's picture of 
the Kapilavastu maidens. 

" At length the day of harpy omen, the great day of the Sway- 
amvara of Damayanti, dawned upon the city of Yidharba. And all 
the Rcijas, sick with love, passed through the glittering portals, 
and the court of great columns, and entered the Hnll of State, like 
lions entering their mountain lairs. And all the Rajas were 
adorned with fragrant garlands, and rich earrings of costly gems 
were hanging from their ears. And some had long arms, ro- 
bust and vigorous as the ponderous battle-mace ; whilst others 
were soft and delicately rounded as a smooth serpent. With 
bright and flowing hair, and arched eyebrows, their faces were as 
radiant as the stars ; and they filled the Hall of State, as the ser- 
pents fill the under world, or as tigers fill the caves in the moun- 
tains. But when Damayanti entered the hall, every eye was fixed, 
and every soul entranced, at her dazzling loveliness ; and all the 
Rajas gazed upon her beauty and were stricken with deep and 



200 



NOTES. 



passionate desire. Then the name of every Raja was proclaimed 
aloud, and Damayanti glanced around at the glittering crowd of 
suitors."* 

8. Kapilavastu ;— Buddlia's birthplace, situated a little north of 
Goruckpiir, in the eastern part of the province of Kosala. It was 
on the Rohini river, tliat empties into tlie Rapti. 

9. Soorma-stick .-—Pencil of lead used to darken the eyelashes. 

10. Slender hands and feet new-stained 
With crimson. 

The women of India still follow the fashion of coloring the 
palms of their hands and soles of their feet with henna. 

11. Tilka-spots : — A bit of gold tinsel, or a stamp of colored 
powder, worn between the eyebrows. 

13. Yasddhara : — was born on the same day as Buddha, and 
fore-ordained to be his queen. The horse Kantaka, the nobleman 
Channa, the personal attendant Ananda, and the messenger Udayi, 
were all born at the time of Buddha's birth. 

13. Parmti ;— was the wife of Shiv, one of the Hindu trinity. 
Her gait was like that of an elephant, gently swaying from side to 
side, a style that is greatly admired in India. 

14. Yamun : — The river Jumna that flows past Agra and Delhi, 

Nandadem .-—A sacred peak of the Himalayas. 

Ardjuna : — Named for one of India's great warriors. 

Wanda : — Named for a god. 

Maiddn : — Plain, or park. 

With music : — The instruments accompanying wedding pro- 
cessions are mostly drums and horns. Of a 'list of thirty-five 
musical instruments given in an Indian hand-book, ten are varie- 
ties of drums, eleven are stringed instruments, mostly stringed 
gourds, and eight are horns or pipes ; the remaining six are cym- 
bals and smaller instruments. The singers all sing one part, as 
harmony is unknown to the Hindus ; many of their melodies, 
however, are pleasing, and if introduced to the Western world, 
would become popular. 

20. and with litters gaily dight, 

And gold-horned oxen, flower-cajmrisoned. 

The wedding color is red, usually that known as " Turkey red." 
The bride is, if possible, dressed in red silk ; the palanquins are 
hung around with red, also the carriages. The horns of the 
oxen are gilded or colored with red ; also their tails and hoofs ; 
also the manes, tails and hoofs of horses that may be in the pro- 
cession ; bells are hung upon the carriage- wheels, and garlands of 
strung jasmine blossoms are put about the necks of the oxen. 

21. Ten gows : — Twenty miles. 



15. 
16. 
17. 

18. 
19. 



NOTES. 20I 

23. A cowry-sJiell : — is about two-tliirds of an incn in lengtL, 

23. Gold sari: — A large veil nearly enwrapping" tlie whole 
person. 

24. SinJiahdmu's hotc : — The bow of liis grandfather. 

25. Then the Prince, lightly leaning, bent the hoic : — The Icfjcnd, 
with usual extravagance of description, says that Siddhartha took 
" this bow that required the strength of a thousand men to bend 
it, and placing the lower end on the nail of the great toe of his 
right foot, without standing up, thrummed the string of the 1)ow 
with his finger nail as easily as if it were merely the bow by 
which cotton is cleaned." The vibration rolled ten thousand 
miles. Then he placed four plantain trees at the corners of a 
square, and by one flight of the arrow pierced them all. Marvel- 
ous archery is a favorite theme in the mythology, history and 
poetry of India. In the Ramayan, the great epic poem of 
India, an archery feat even greater than this of Siddliarta's is 
described. Rama, the hero of the poem, at the winning of his 
wife Sita, used a bow which had required the combined strength 
of five thousand youths to fetch in its casket. Rama 

" Before the thonsands of the court. 
The weapon by the middle raised. 
That all the crowd in wonder gazed. 
With steady arm the string he drew. 
Till burst the mighty bow in two. 
As snapped the bow in awful clang. 
Loud as the shriek of tempests rang. 
The earth affrighted shook amain. 
As when a hill is rent in twain ; 
Then senseless at the fearful sound, 
The people fell upon the ground ; 
None save the king, the princely pair. 
And the great saint the shock could bear.'* 

In the Mahabharata several* wonderful feats of archery are 
described, but none can be more appropriately given in this con- 
nection than some extracts from the Swayamvara of Draupadi. 

" And when they reached that city they found a vast number of 
Rajas encamped, with a great host of troops and elephants, and 
multitudes of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, traveling merchants, show- 
men and spectators. And there was set apart without the city a 
large plain inclosed by barriers, in which the Rajas were to ex- 
hibit their skill in archery ; and around the plain were many glit- 
tering pavilions for the lodging of the more distinguished guests, 
and also raised galleries from which to behold the performances. 
And at one end of the plain was a tall pole, and on the top of this 
pole was a golden fish, and below the fish was a chakra ever 
whirling round ; and the rule of the Swayamvara was, that who- 



— ,-- 



■MKVradWM 



20 2 NOTES. 

ever discharged an arrow tlirougli the chakra at the first shot, and 
Rtriiclc the eye of the g-olden fish, that man should be llie husband 
of tlie daughter of lliija l)rau|)atla." 

After sixteen days of feasting, " the moment arriveil »vhen the* 
young Princess was to exhibit herself in all her loveliness to those 
who hoped to gain lier for a bride, and the beautiful damsel v/as 
dressed in elegant array, and adorned with radiant gems, and led 
into the arena, carrying in her liand the garland which she was 
to throw over the nock of that fortunate hero who might have the 
fortune to win her to be his wife. Then the different choirs of 
Brahmins chanted Vedic hymns to the glory and praise of tlie 
gods, and filled the heavens and the earth with the music of their 
prayers. After this, and amidst a universal silence, the Prince 
Dhrishta-dyumna, who was the brother of Draupadi, stood hy the 
side of his resplendent sister, and proclaimed that wliosoever shot 
the arrow through the chakra in the first attempt and struck the 
eye of the golden fish sliould have the Princess for his wife. 
Then the Prince told into the ears of Draupadi the name and 
lineage of every one of her suitors; and he also told her, in the 
hearing of all, that she must place the garland round the neciv of 
the man who struck the fish, and accept him for her husband from 
that day. Dhrishta-dyumna then turned to the Rajas and chief- 
tains and said, * Hero stands this lady, my sister ; whoever feels 
confident in his skill and strength that he can hit the mark ia a 
single trial, let him arise and fulfill the conditions of the taway- 
amvara. 

" At these words the Rajas arose from their seats and approached 
the pole on which the golden fish was fixed, and the chaicra below 
it ever turning round, and they viewed the strong and heavy bow 
from which the arrow was to be discharged. Now every man was 
jealous of the other, and yet for a long while no chieftain would 
take up the bow, lest he should fail to bend it, and thus excite the 
laughter of the multitude. Presently a R'lja stepped before his 
fellows and tried to bend the bow, but coul'. not, and another and 
yet another essayed in like manner to string the bow, but all were 
alike unable to do so because of its great size and strength. Then 
many of the Rajas made the attempt, and they strained themselves 
to the very uttermost, casting aside their robes and collars, and 
l)utting forth their whole strength, but not one amongst them 
could bend the bow. 

*'A]1 this time the Pandavas — five brother princes — had been, 
standing amongst the crowd disguised as Enihmins, but suddenly 
Arjuna, one of the brothers, advanced and lifted the bow, and a 
cry of astonishment ran through the assembly at seeing a Brah- 
min attempt to compete at a Swayamvara. Some there were who 
jeered at Arjuna, and said, * Shall a Brahmin do this great thing 



NOTES. 203 

wliicli all tlie miglity Rajas have failed to do?* Others cried, 
' Unless the Brahmin knew his own skill and strength, he would 
not make the essay. And all the real Bralnnins that were pres- 
ent were fearful lest the attempt should offend the Rajas, so that 
the Rajas should give them, no gifts, and they entreated Arjuna 
to withdraw ; but Arjuna Avas heedless alike of words of blame or 
words of encouragement, and he offered up a mental prayer to hij 
tutor Droua, and then bent the bow and drew the cord, rjid fi:ting 
the arrow to the string, he discharged it through the center of the 
chakra, and struck the eye of the golden fish. Then a roar 
of acclamations arose from the vast assembly like the crash and 
roll of distant thunder, and the Brahmins waved their scarfs in 
the greatness of their delight, and the drums and trumpets 
filled the air with joyous music. And the beautiful Draupaui 
was filled with joy and wonder at the youth and grace of 
the hero who struck the golden fish, and she came forward as 
she had been commanded by her brother, and threw the garland 
round the neck of Arjuna and permitted him to lead her away, 
according to the rule of the Swayamvara." * 

To the single arrow test of the earlier centuries, other feats of 
strength and skill were subsequently added ; but ultimatcl}' the 
Swayamvara was abandoned on account of the feuds .and wars that 
arose from the jealousies and hatreds that these assemblies excited, 
and the custom of infant marriages was introduced, thus jn-eclud- 
ing such occasions of war. 

26. And clove a Talas-tree : — Palm-tree. 

27. Six fingers thick : — This must be understood as the icicltJi of 
six fingers laid one against another, not as six fingers' length. 

28. Byces : — Grooms. 

29. BhU .-—Evil spirit. 

30. Mogra : — Double Arabian jasmine. 

31. Kusd grass : — *'Ever3'"law book and almost every poem in 
Sanskrit contains frequent, allusion to the holiness of this plant, 
and in the fourth veda we have the following address to it at the 
close of a terrible incantation : * Thee, O Dharba, the learned pro- 
claim a divinity not subject to age or death ; thee they call the 
armor of Indra, the preserver of religions, the destroyer of enemies, 
a gem that givetli increase to the fields. At the time when the 
ocean resounded, when the clouds murmured, and the lightnings 
flashed, then was Dharba produced, pure as a drop of fine gold ! ' 
Some of the leaves taper to a most acute evanescent point, v^dience 
the Pandits often say of a very sharp-minded man, that his intel- 
lects are as acute as the point of a kusaleaf."! Pandits — Hindu 
teachers — say that the kusa grass is equal in sanctity to gold, as boll' 

* Wheeler's History of India, vol. i, 119. 

* Sir Wm. Jones, vol, ii, Essay on Plants of India. 



204 NOTES. 

are produced from the earth, and as gold is the chief of metals, so ig 
this of grasses. It is especially holy, and is in great demand in al. 
most all the native offerings and religious ceremonies of the Hin< 
dus, particularly in presenting water to the manes of their ances. 
tors. The reason of selecting it is, that the moutlia of these ghosts 
are so small at first that the libation offered them can only enter by 
being poured along one of these fine sharp roots. It is considered 
very desirable that a man should die upon a bed of kusa, and it is 
consequently the duty of attendant relations to spread the grass on 
the floor, and after covering it w^ith a cloth, to lay the dying man 
upon it, in order that he may emit his last breath in that hallowed 
position." * 

32. Jheel: — Marsh. 

33. Neem : — Margosa, or bitter tree, — Melia azadirachta — or ash 
leaved bead tree ; considered sacred, as it once had the honor of 
supporting the sun. An eminent saint visited another saint named 
Bhaskara Acharya, w^lio was supposed to have been an incarnation 
of the sun. The two saints were engaged in discussion until sunset, 
when Bhaslvara offered his guest food. Neither of tliem could eat 
after dark, so Bhaskara stopped the further descent of the sun, and 
ordered him to take up his abode in a neighboring neem tree until 
the food sliould be cooked and eaten, and the sun obeyed. 

34. Menha : — The sign of Aries. 

35. Oadi : — Cushion, throne or exalted seat. 

36. The arm-tJweads tied : — This ceremony is conducted with 
more state and solemnity than any other during the marriage festi- 
val. It consists in fastening on the right wrist of the young 
man, and on the left of the girl, a bit of saffron, called the kau- 
kanam. 

37. The rice and attar thrown : — During the wedding ceremo- 
nies, which usually last about five days, two baskets, made of 
bamboo, are placed close together ; the bride steps into one, the 
bridegroom into the other. Two other baskets are brought filled 
with ground rice ; the Imsband empties one over the head of the 
bride, and she pours the other over him ; this they repeat until 
they are weary or are admonished that it is enough. In the mar- 
riage of princes pearls and perfumes are sometimes used in placj 
of rice.f 

The seven steps taken thrice around the fire : — The sacred 
fire, and the three circuits which the young couple make around 
the fire, indicate the ratification of a mutual agreement between 
them, as there is nothing more solemn than what is transacted 
over this element, which, among the Hindus, is the most pure of 



* Phillips' Missionary Vade Mecum, 231, 
t Abbe Duboia' Worki*. 



NOTES, 205 

the deities, and therefore fitter than all others to ratify the solemn 
oaths of which it is the most faithful memorial." * 

38. Mantras: — are variously hymns, incantations, prayers or 
ascriptions of praise to the gods. It is with great reluctance 
that the Hindus communicate these to any other than those of 
their own caste. Mr. Wilson fully understood the dislike Hindus 
have ot'imparting these sacred words, and seriously doubted 
if they could be trusted even when they professed to impart 
them. 

39. Roldiii : — A river in the eastern part of Oude. 

40. Ounga : — Ganges. 

41. Sill : — A common timber tree, Sliorea robusta. 

42. Oanthi floicers : — Clusters of. 

43. Northimrds soared 
The stainless ramjjs of huge Eimala's loall. 

This is a beautiful and most accurate description of the Him- 
alaya mountains. The closing lines 

under these the jylciin, 

Gleamed like a praying -carpet at the foot 

Of those dicinest altars 
are unsurpassed for truth and beauty. The combined views of the 
snowy range and the plains from the lower ranges — seven to ten 
thousand feet — are magnificent beyond description. The specta- 
tor, looking away to the snows a hundred miles distant on the one 
hand, and over the plains for thirty or forty miles on the other, 
with hill, mountain aixd valley rising and falling far away to 
the east and west, has such a view as no other place on earth 
affords. ' 

44. Radhd and Krishna and the sylvan girls : — Krishna was 
one of the nine incarnations of Vishnu, and is one of the most 
worshiped gods of India. His life was so foul that no literal 
translation of his history could be published in this country, and 
jet the story is read to persons of all ages and both sexes in 
India. Many fine sayings are attributed to Krishna, and these 
Sanskrit scholars have given to the Western world ; but the parts 
most attractive to uncultivated and carnal minds are necessaiily 
suppressed. Radha was the chief of his thirty thousand mis- 
tresses, and she, not his lawful wife, is always pictured and 
worshiped with him. 

45. Bita : — was the beautiful wife that Rama Avon when he 
broke the bow that five thousand youths could scarcely carry. 
Later, when Rama's father would have placed this, his eldest son , 
on the throne, a second wife steps in and claims the fulfillment of 
a long-forgotten promise that her son should be heir to the throne. 
Rama, to avoid discord, and upon the advice of his father, becomes 
a hermit. Sita insists on accompanying him, though he in iliC 

* Abbe Dubois' Works. 



■ I ■irilS" 



206 NOTES. 

most tender laniruage beseeches lier not to undertake such hard- 
shijis and discomforts for his sake. Sita insists that " wherevt^r 
the husband may be, the wife must dwell in the shadow of his 
foot," and for ten years they wander in the jungle. They visit 
the dwellings of the most celebrated hermits ; a female hermit 
named Anasuya, talks to Sita, who tells Anasuya of her birth, and 
says : 

" My preceptor taught me ever to reverence my mother earth, 
and to strive to be as pure and true and brave as she, and he called 
me Sita because I sprang out of a furrow of the ground." Ana- 
suya says : "Thou hast indeed the courage of the brave earth 
mother, for thou hast not feared to face the scorching heat, and 
the biting winds, and the angry storm ; and thou art so noble, too, 
Sita, for thou hast lavished thy beauty on the sorrowful, and hast 
sought to make even the path of exile sweet to thy beloved." 
Rawan, the monstrous king of Ceylon, one day in the absence of 
Hiima made the beautiful Sita his -most unwilling captive, and 
carried her through the air to his capital. Sita has naught but 
bitterness for her captor, and tells him that Rama will deliver her 
and destroy him. Rtima instituted a search for her, and Avith the 
assistance of Hanuman — the monkey god, — who took a flying leap 
of sixty miles from the mainland to Ceylon — found Sita. A 
mighty war ensued, the giant was slain, and Sita recovered. To 
prove her purity to Rama, she passed through a Are ordeal, and 
ever since her name has been the synonym for wifely constancy 
and noble devotion. 

46. Draupadi : — was the maiden won by Arjuna, who shot the 
fish through the whirling chakra. By the unfortunate exclama- 
tion of his mother, who, on being told by the brothers that they 
had made a fine acquisition, said, "Go and share it, you five 
brothers, amongst yourselves and eat it," she was compelled to be 
a wife for all of them. Her difficult place she filled with rare 
credit and honor. 

47. God Ganesha 
With disc and hook, tohring ^oisdom and imaltli — 
'Propitious sate, wreathing Ids sidelong trunk. 

Ganesh is the god of wisdom, eloquence and obstacles. The 
Abbe Dubois gives the following account of the cause of the re- 
markable elephant head which Ganesh bears: '* The god Kumara, 
who had long entertained a grudge against Ganesh, finding him 
altme one day, cut ofT his head. Shiv, his father, was much 
grieved when he heard of the misfortune, and being desirous to 
repair it, he made a vow that he would cut off the head of the 
first living creature he should find with his head lying toward the 
north, and unite to the trunk of Ganesh. In acting on this design, 
liie fi/st animal he met with lying in this position was an elephant, 



T 



NOTES. 207 

the head of wliicli L e cut off, aud set on tlie neck of Ganesli , and thus 
restored him to life. The mother of Ganesh was terrified and ago- 
nized to find her son with such a deformity, but was paciued on be- 
in^ assured by Briihma that Ganesh should be the most worshipt d of 
all gods, Ganesh, as the god of obstacles, thougli he has no temples , 
is more frequently invoked than any other God in India, as every 
undertaking, even the worship of the gods, must be prefaced with 
prayer to him. Every book in the Hindi and Sanskrit languages 
opens with an invocation to Ganesli, usually Sri Ganesha luuna — 
to the honorable Ganesh respect. " The following is an introduction 
to a treatise on geometry: " Having bowed to Goaiesh, whose 
head is like an elephant, whose feet are adored by the gods, who, 
when called to mind, restores his votaries from embarrassment, 
and bestows happiness on his worshipers, I propound this easy 
method of computation." 

48. Nelumbo : — Dark blue flowers. 

49. Of7iakre : — Silvery whiteness, or panes of mica. 

50. Purdah : — ('urtain. 

51. And silver vma-stri?igs : — The vina is one of the most ancient 
of the muiiical instruments of India. A hollow gourd is fastened 
near either end of a bar that is strung with three steel and four 
brass or silver wires ; these are played with plectrums, usually 
fish scales fastened with springs or tied with thread to the little 
finger and two first fingers of the right Land.* An English writer 
claims that " it is an instrument of the greatest capacity and 
power ; and a really superior vina, in the hands of an expert per- 
former, is perhaps little inferior to a fine-toned piano." 

52. To that great stature [of fair sovereignty : — To be a chakra- 
vartin. 

BOOK THE THIRD. 

1. Chitra .'—The name of the 14th mansion of the moon. 

2. Nullahs: — Ravines. 

3. Maiddn: — Plain. 

4 Kos : — About two miles. 

5 Oroi'S : — Ten millions. 

6 . The water-carriers spinkled all the streets 

From sjyirting skins. ' 

The water carriers of India bear v/ater in goat-skins on the back. 

The neck of the skin is left open ; this the carriers grasp with the 

left hand, and by a little dexterous movement, are able to throw 

the water in small streams quite a distance. 

7. Tul-n-bush : — Ocymum sanctum. Sweet basil. The basil is 
considered sacred by the Hindus, and is constantly used in re- 
ligious services. One tradition says that Tulsi was a nymph b-j- 



2o8 NOTES. 

loved by Krislma and by liim metamorpliosed into this plant. A 
more commonly received tradition is that Tulsi wished to become 
the wife of Vishnu, but was turned by the curse of Lalvshnn, 
Vishnu's wife, into the basil or tulsi plant. Vishnu, not pleased 
with this, promised Tulsi tliat he Vv'ould always continue with lier 
in the form of the Salaoram, or Ammonite stone, found in the 
rivers of Nepal. For this reason the Hindus who worship Vislmu 
keep leaves of the basil above and below a salagram in the tem- 
ples, and adorn their temples and houses with pictures of the sala- 
gram and basil, the women paying- particular attention to the cul- 
tivation of the latter. "By Tulsi's leaf the truth I speak " is a 
favorite mode of affirmation. 

8. Suryadeva : — The sun god, who is represented in statuary as 
seated on a chariot drawn by seven horses. 

9 Came forth in 2-^'^^^ted car, vchich two steers drew: — Tlie 
pleasure carriages of the Hindus usually have two, sometimes 
four, heavy untired wheels. The floor of the carriage is made of 
interlaced bamboos, and is without springs or seats. On tiiis the 
rider sits tailor fashion, or for a change with feet liangirig in some 
convenient place among the wheels. The driver sits in front astride 
the cumberous and ornamented tongue. The top of the carriage is 
dome-like in shape, and hung witli fringed curtains of v/idte cot- 
ton, or red silk, as the owner can afford. The oxen used lor these 
carriages are as much objects of pride and care as carriage horses in 
the V/est. They are never used for labor, and are beauti f ul animtds. 
They trot with considerable speed, and, on the ordinary country 
roads, are not excelled by the European horse and buggy. 

10. Bright-clad : —Probably no people present a brighter appear- 
ance on a gala day than do the Hindus, of the north country par- 
ticularly. Tlie great majority of the men dress in white muslin. 
coats and trousers, tliat, on such occasions, are marvelously white 
and clean. The turbans are of white, rose pink, pale green, lav- 
ender or other delicate shade, or often of turkey red with redkam- 
marband, or v/aist-scarf. Priests and religious mendicants wear 
oclier colored garments; the native police have uniforms of ritie 
green with red turbans and kammarbands ; the women generally 
wear skirts of dark blue or red, v/ith large veils of white or bright 
colored muslin spangled or gayly bordered ; and among the crowd 
is sure to be a sprinkling of graiidees in silks, cashmere shawls, 
cloth of gold, or brilliant array of some soit,, attended by white- 
robed servants, v^earing scarlet sashes, swords and gay tiu'baii.'V 

11. Jai! jai!—ll'c\\\, hail! 

13. Ja.liin : Feminine for Galen. 

13. Hastd : — Named for the 14th mansion of the moon 

14. Qautami : — Feminine for Gotama. 

15. Gunga : — Named for the Ganges. 



mmoBocmsmat 



NOTES. 209 

16. "Ah, Sweet," he said, "such comfort that my soul 

Aches, thinking it must end, for it will end. " 
Compare this mournful, hopeless fear of love's decay, as seen 
from a heathen stand-point, with dear old '* John Anderson, my 
Joe, John," the song of Christian lovers. 

17. Indrd : — was one of the original deities of India, and before 
the introduction of Brahuiinism, held in the Indian pantheon about 
the same relation as Jupiter in the Grecian. 

18. The ten great gifts of wisdom- signify : — Mr. Hardj enumer- 
ates these gifts as follows : ** 1. The wisdom that understands 
what knowledge is necessary for the right fulfillment of any par- 
ticular duty, in whatsoever situation. 2. That which knows the re- 
sult or consequence of karma. 3. That which knows the way to the 
attainment of Nirvana. 4. That which sees the various sakwalas. 
5. That which knows the thoughts of other beings. 6. That 
which knows that the organs of sense are not the self. 7. That 
which knows the purity produced by the exercise of the dliyanas. 
8. That which knows where any one was born in all his former 
births. 9. That which knows where any one will be born in all 
future births. 10. That which knows how the results j)roceeding 
from karma — action — may be overcome." 

19. Are those four fearless 'cirtues : — The first path or virtue is 
the awakening of the heart when it is perceived that pain is in- 
separable from existence, that all earthly good leads to sorrow; 
then he is awake and has entered upon the first stage. In the sec- 
ond he loses all impure desires, and all revengeful feelings; in the 
third he becomes free from evil desires, ignorance, doubt, heresy 
and unkindness and vexation ; universal charity follows opening 
Nirvana. 

20. At Gliandra's temple : — The temple of llie moon. 

21. Merchant' srobe : — The shop-keepers of India generally wear 
turbans of white, or pale colored muslin, that are made on light 
frames, in a very set fashion of many tiny folds, one over the 
other ; the coat is a short waist jacket ; about the loins is wrapped 
the dhoti (three or four yards of cloth tliat is folded to assume a 
trowsers-like appearance, each leg being covered to belov/ the 
knee), and about the shoulders an ample sheet is loosely thrown. 

23. Clerkly dress : — The trousers for this dress are white, long 
and close-fitting ; the white coat is long and narrow, surmounted 
by a short waist jacket, frequently made of colored muslin ; the 
turban is of loose and ample folds of white muslin. 

23, The traders cross-legged 'mid their sjrice and grain : — Native 
stores in India have neither shelves, counters, chairs, stools, nor 
boxes or bins. Six or eight feet square of a verandah floor with 
a closet or two, is quite an establishment. The merchant spreads 
a few goods on the open side of his shop and sits on his heels in 



2IC 



NOTES. 



the midst. The c:raln merchants spread their shoulder cloths on 
the ground, in tiie bazar square, and dump tlie grain upon thcnn ; 
from these they sell by weight, using balanced baskets. Large 
numbers of regular traders in spices, pottery, jewelry, toys and 
other wares simply spread a cloth on the ground, display the goods 
and sit cross-legged l>eside them. 

24. The buyers iciththdr money in the doth: — A Hindu's gar- 
ments are made without pockets; pocket- boolcs are unknown, so a 
bit of cloth carried in the hand, or tucked in the waist-band, 
serves both purposes. 

25. The icaroficords to cheapen this or that : — The seller always 
asks three or four times the sum he expects to receive for any 
article ; the buyer understands this, and offers what he tliiuks 
right, what he can afford, or as sujall a sum as he thinks may be 
received, " The war of words " is indefinitely continued, and lo 
a foreigner, when not exasperating, is extremely amusing. 

26. T//e shout to clear the road: — As there are no sidewalks, and the 
hucksters lay their goods as near the road as possible when the 
trade and war over prices is fairly begun, every passing wagon 
must send forward some one to shout and shove, to make a ])ass- 
age and prevent injury. Persons of rank always send on a fore- 
runner on any road. 

27. 7 he singing bearers mth the palanquins : — Four men bear a 
palanquin, and three or four run alongside for relief. It is neces- 
sary that the men carrying should keep step, both for their own 
ease, and the comfort of the person in the palanquin. To aid 
themselves they call back and forth, "Hu, hu, ho, ho," in a sub- 
dued tone. This call they vary, by chanting in measure, and in 
the same tone, remarks about the person they are carrying 
Except as regards weight, these sentences are usually highly com- 
plimentary, and calculated to induce a larger gift of buckhsheesh. 

28. Ilanials : — Associate cattle. 

29. The housewives bearing water from the well 
With balanced chatties, and athwart their hips 
The black-eyed babes. 

A. chattie is a globular water jar, with a short neck on one side. 
The poorer women who go to the wells will carry two or three 
such jars, each holding from two to f(Hir gallons, one above the 
other, on tlieir heads; also a jar in one arm resting on one hip, and 
a baby astride the other hip. 

oO. The fly-swarmed siceetmeat shops : — Candy stores are in about 
tlie same proportion to other stores in India as are licjuor saloons 
to our stores in American cities. The sweetmeats are not adul- 
terated with as hurtful materials as Western confectioners us*j, 
and they are seldom colored. Ghee, or clarified butter, is largely 
used in candies, making them distasteful to most Europeans. 



mamamtamm 



NOTES. 211 

81. Tlie uea.Ter nt his loom: — The looms are -worked by hand, 
and are most primitive, but by careful skill, fine textures audrich 
materials are produced from them. 

82. Thi' cotton -how iicanQ'ing : — The cotton-bow is a stout bow 
five or six feet in length, with a strong rawhide string. This is 
twanged sharply npon the lieap of cotton, and by its vibration 
causes the dust and dirt to Hy off, leaving the cotton clean and 
white. By striking the b(;w at different points a kind of music is 
produced. 

33. TJie school 

WJiere round tJieir Gurii, in a grave Jinlfmoon^ 
The Sdkya children S(ing tJie mantras through. 
And learmd tlie greater ami the lesser gods. 

In the school the teacher and scholars, boys only, sit cross- 
legged upon the floor, without desks or other school apparatus 
than a hook, reed pens, ink and coarse paper. Tlie instruc- 
tion, until the introduction of English methods of instruction by 
that government, was almost entiiely confined to religious pre- 
cepts and stanzas, and histories of the gods and tlieir worship. 

81. The dyers stretching iraistcloths in the sun : — Th.ese cloths 
a.ld greatly to the picturesqueness of the scene in the Indian 
bazar, as tlipy hang and wave like great ribbons in the still air 
from floor to housetop, on horizontal poles set in gables, roofs, 
balconied windows or towers. 

35. 7716 Brdhrni/i proud : — The Brahmins are usually taller 
and fairer than other castes. For thousands of years tluMr pro- 
genitors have been the best fed and most comfortably housed class. 
The result is everywhere apparent. 

36. The marti^d Kshatriya: — Soldier caste. 

37. Sudra : — The lower castes and laborers. 

38. If^dg : — Serpent. 

39. or charm the hooded death 

To angry dance icith drone of headed gourd. 

The snake charmers capture the most fatally venomous of all 
snakes, the cobra, and carry them about in baskets for c-xhil)ition. 
The charmers seat themselves beside the baskets, in which the 
snakes lie apparently asleep, and begin to blow upon their gourds 
and pipes, that sound not unlike a Scotch bagpipe. Presently the 
snakes begin to stir, then to arise until they stand tipon their 
bellies to a height of eighteen inches or more, wlien they expand 
their hoods, thrust out their tongues, and sway back and forth, us 
long as the music lasts. 

4U. Or beg a hoy next birtJt : — A man's funeral ceremonies cannot 
be properly performed by any but a son, hence the great anxiety 
of parents for sons. A woman may bo lawfully divcrced if she 
have no sons, or her husband is expected to take a second wife, 



212 



KOTES. 



frequently at tlie request of the first wife, tliat the name and honor 
of the house may be sustained. 

41. Lotas : — Globular water vessels, usually about- a quart 
measure. 

42. Striped murderer : — Tiger. 

43. Karunda husli: — Corinda, or carissa carandas. 

44. An earthen bo d icith lighted cords : — In ancient times when 
Ag-ni, the god of f;re, was worshiped, every householder was the 
family priest, and the sacrod or sacrificial fire was kept con- 
tinually burning on the heartli-stone. This has passed away, but 
remains of the old fire worship are still seen in many religious 
ceremonies among the Hindus. Carrying lighted coals in a bowl 
before the dead signifies that that oa tlie family hearth-stone is 
out, and its remains are to be used in performing the last cere- 
monies of burning. , 

45. TJie kinsmen s7/(?r?i;— Upon the death of a son,father or brother, 
the nearest male relatives are required to shave every part of the 
body. 

40. Rama: — A leading divinity; the hero of the epic poem, the 
Ranuiyan. 

47. To where a pile wa.<i reared beside the stream : — Those v/ho have 
borne the dead and lighted tlie funeral pile cannot return to their 
familic s or eat until they have bathed in flowing water, hence the 
dead are generally burned beside streams. Not unfrequently when 
the relatives cannot afford sulficient fuel to entirely consume the 
body it is thrust half burned into the stream, to become food for 
vultures and alligators. The funeral ceremonies are many, and 
vary in different parts of the country. Frequently years elapse 
before the last can be performed. 

48. Such is man's round ; — Transmigration of soul. 

49. Brahm : — Tlie divine essence, the original Creator; he from 
whom sprung the three principal gods, Brahma, Slav and Vishnu. 

BOOK THE FOURTH. 

1. Chaitra Shud ; — The full moon of March and April. 

2. Asdka buds; — Tiie vegetable world scarce exhibits a richer 
sight than an Asoka tree in full bloom ; it is about as high as an 
ordinary cherry tree. The flowers grow in dense clusters, beauti- 
fully diversified with tints of orange scarlet, of pale yellow and of 
blight orange, which grov/s deeper every day, and forms a variety 
of shades according to the age of each blossom that opens in the 
cluster.* 

3. Rama's birthday comes: — The birthday cf Rama is celebrated 

♦ Sir William Jones' Works. 



» wm 



NOTES. 213 

witli great ceremonies and festivities. Near the larger towns open 
fiir tlieatricals are held representhig the hermitage of Rama, the 
theft of his wife Sita by R'lwan, tlie King of Ceylon, the war tliat 
followed, the retaking of Sita, and the triumphal return of Rama. 
The play lasts two or three days, and is witnessed by thousands of 
eager spectators. 

4. J-Iadra ; — A seal, a signet. 

5. Angana : — A court. 

6. Devis : — Feminine for Devas, bright ones, or lesser gods. 

7. Lankd : — Ceylon. 

8. The chuddah : — A veil worn over the head and nearly enwrap- 
ping the whole person. 

9. Kantlid-stoiiQ : — Precious stones worn in a necklace are called 
kantha. 

10. VisJinu : — The second deity of the Hindu triad is vp.riously 
represented in paintings and sculpture, but is most commonly 
figured as a black or deep blue man, Vv^ith four arms in v/hich he 
holds a discus, a conch, a mace and an Egyptian lotus uower, em- 
blematic of his attributes or power. He is tlie source of the greater 
part of Hindu incarnations. Nine of Vishnu have already appeared. 
The tenth, that is to bring in the golden ap;e, is expected toappear 
in a temple in Sembha!, a town near Moradabnd. A few yea-rs 
since a long lease of this temple was for sale, and if the mission- 
aries resident in the place had had money enough, tliey could have 
bought it for a preaching place. 

\ 11. Shiva: — The third of the Hindu trinity. In appearance he 

is always disgusting or frightful. In one form he appears as a 
white man, with three eyes (one in ins forelicad), a tiger skin 
barely covering his loins, and three snakes curled about his head 
and shoulders. From his miserable wickedness the famous Ling 
had its origin. 

12. Buryoj ; — The sun. 

13. 80 with his brow he touchsd her feet, and tent 
The farewell of fond eyes, iinutteraMe, 
Upon her sleeping face. 

Wherever, and in whatever form, this legend of the renunciation 
is found, 11 always betokens deepest, truest love Yiekliiig only to 
stern duty and greater benevolence. The legend of the Southern 
Buddhists says that the son was already born. " The Prince, in 
order tliat he might see his son, went to the apartment of 
Yasodhara, and on opening the door he saw the Princess upon a 
couch, surrounded by flowers ; but she was asleep, her hand em- 
bracing the infant, which was also asleep, and laid upon her 
bosom. Siddartha perceived that in order to take up his son 
Rahula he must remove the mother's arm, vvliich would probably 
cause her to awake, and as he knew that if she av»'oke she would 



mTn illlMiili m ■ i iai Miniiir' > " ri*r-tTAr'ir^T'^-*r*r'"*"^*-^^'**^*^'*-*'=^ ^ 



^4 



NOTES. 



speak to liim, ^.vhicli miglit sliake his rpsolution, lie reraained 
upon the tlirosliokl, liolding the door-post with his hand, but not 
proceeding any further, lie thought, * I can see my child after I 
become Buddha; were 1, from parental affection, to endanger the 
reception of the Buddhaship, how could the various orders of being 
be released from the sorrows of existence?' Then resolutely, like 
a man atiempting to root up Mount Siimeru, he withdrew his foot 
from the doorway, and descended to the court-yard."^' Tiiis de- 
cisive step taken, tlie legend again narrates the marvels tliat oc 
curred at the time of Buddha's birth, wherein all nature puts forth 
freshness and beauty in honor of the great event. 

14. liinndaJb : — Felt, or coarse woolen cloth formed without 
weaving, and used as a covering for horses, or to keep ofE rain. 

15. SuddaJi Dccas : — Demi-gods from Indra's heaven. 

16. Mohra-jloimrs: — The molira tree bears sweet-scented flowers, 
from whose petals a spirituous liquor is distilled; from tlie nuts an 
oil is extracted, Bassia latifolia. 

17. But icltenthey reached the gate ; — The King, who had fore- 
seen that his son would attempt to escape by stealth, liad placed a 
thousand men as wardens. This marvelous horse Kantaka, eigh- 
teen cubits in length and of proportionate height, proud to assist 
his master at this time, to which the horse had so long looked for- 
ward, resolved that if the gate were not open he would leap the 
ramparts of the city v/ith the Prince on his ba.ck, and Channa hang- 
ing to liis tail. Channa, equally as loyal, resolved to leap the bar- 
rier with the horse on one shoulder and the Prince on the other ; 
but the dovas, kuov/ing that through Buddha they too should ob- 
tain entrance to the city of peace — Nirvana— noiselessly opened 
the gate. 

18. Mali 
grown for opium. 

19. Anoma'sioave: 
and saltless. 

20. 



ca ; — A province of India wdiere fields of popj)ies are 
This name has two significations — illustrious 



andj spake 

Fidlsiceet to thanna. 
In India it is the custom for the grooms to run beside, or at 
least in full sight of, master and horse %vhen on a journey. Thf^se 
men become remarkable for speed and endurance. Channa was 
evidently v/oll trained, hence stood ready to take Siddartha's horse 
at the close of the vv^onderful lid:!. Channa requested th. -it he miglit 
be his master's companion in lus asceticism, but Siddartlia be- 
souglii him to return, that his father and wife might know 
v/hither he l\ad gone. The horse, knowing that his service for 
jiis master was ended, became greatly distressed and fell dead. 
A temple was afterward erected to his memory on that spot. 



* MunuiU 01 JUuddhism, lOi. 



tomamgmsftaaKam^xmKmr^ 



NOTES. 



BOOK THE FIFTH. 



"':) 



1. Rajdgnha ; — A Prince's liouse. Tlie town was formerly fa- 
mous for beauty and wealth. It was tlie capital of Magadlia. 'I'lie 
place lias l)een in ruins for centuries. 

2. Baiblidra ; — Distant gardens, tlie cultivated lands near a 
town. 

3. Snrsuti : — Thread of the gods, a little stream. 

4. Tapovan : — Place of devotees. 

5. Sovereign earth-butter : — Liquid bitumen. 

6. Saildgiri : — Cool hill. 

7. Jujube trees : — Native of Arabia. 

8. here 

Lord Buddha sate. 

This place of meditation was chosen with strict regard to the 
rules laid down in the sacred books that say : " Curbing the 
senses and appetites, and breathing gently through the nostrils, 
v/liile meditating tho scholar should concentrate his thouglits. 
On a clean smooth spot, free from pebbles, from gravel, or from 
scorching sand, where the mind is tranquillized by pleasant 
sounds, by running water and grateful shade, with naugiit to 
offend the eye, let him apply himself to his task." Though 
Buddha sat " motionless as the fixed rock his seat," the old snint 
of the Mahabharata beat him all hollow. " And the old Rishi had 
sat in one place so many years that a tree had grown up between 
his legs, and birds had built their nests upon the tree, and serpents 
had made their holes all round him. And the Rishi said that he 
had remained there during twenty Brahmas, and had frequently 
seen the world come to a close and begin again." A day of 
Brahma is more than 4,000 millions of years. 

In the effect of meditation the infant of the Vishnu Purana 
excels both Buddha and the Rishi. " Dhruva, aged five years, 
performed a penance as enjoined by Marichi and the sages. He 
contemplated Vishnu, the sovereign of all gods, seated in himself. 
Whilst his mind was wholly absorbed in meditation, the mighty 
Hari, identical with all beings and with all natures, took posses- 
sion of his heart. Vishnu being thus present in liis mind, the 
earth, the supporter of elemental life, could not sustain thev/eight 
of the ascetic. As he stood upon his left foot one hemisphere 
bent beneath him, and when he stood upon his right foot, the 
other half of the earth sunk down. When he touched it v.'ith his 
toes it shook with all its mountains and rivers, and the seas were 
troubled and the gods partook of the universal agitation." The 
celestials interfered with many strategems, but could not induce 
liim to forego his penances, until Hari himself came to him and 
granted his wish that he should be above all worlds and creations. 



2l6 



NOTES. 



9. Tlius icould he muse from noontide: — That a deep religious 
life was attained cliiefly throagli contemplation se ms to have 
been a ruling idea since very early times in India. The most 
ancient histories tell of devotees seeking union with Deity by con- 
templation. The sacred books prescribe various methods and atti- 
tudes to assist the mind in concentrating thought. " The devotee 
must attend to tlie gradual suppi-ession of bi-eathing, since tho 
animal soul and the mind act in conjunction. In this worlc he must 
first endeavor to fix the understanding by some act of the senses : 
for example, he must place his siglit and thoughts on the tip cf 
his nose, by which he will perceive smell ; then bring his mind to 
the tip of kis tongue, when taste will be realized ; and afterward 
fix his thoughts on the root of his tongue, by v.'liich sound v*'ill bo 
suggested. After this, if the mind be full of the principle of 
grandness, and free from passion and ignorance, it will escape the 
Avaves of passion and become truly fixed. He who meditates on 
God, placing his mind on the sun, moon, fire, or any other lund- 
nous body, or within his heart, or at the bottom of his throat, or 
in the center of his skull, will, by afterward ascending from these 
gross images of tlie Deity to the glorious original, secure fixed- 
ness of thought. " * 

The experience of an ex-devotee, as given by tlie Abbe Dubois, 
is not only curious but amusing. " I was a novice, '^ said the 
devotee, " under a celebrated Sunyasis, who had fixed his her- 
mitage in a remote situation near Bellaburam. As he prescribed, 
I devoted the great part of the night to Vv^atchfulness, and to en- 
deavors to expel from my mind every thought whatever. Agree- 
ably to other instructions daily repeated to me by my master, I 
exerted all my might to restrain my breathing as long as it could 
be possibly endured. I persisted in thus containing myself, con- 
tinually, till I v/as neatly ready to faint away. Such violent 
efforts brought on the most profuse perspiration from all parts of 
my body. At length, one day while I was practicing as usual, I 
imagined I saw before me the full moon, very bright, but tremu- 
lous. At another time I was led to fancy, in broad day, thiit I 
was plunged into thick darkness. My spiritual guide, wlio had 
often predicted to me that the practice of penitence and c iitem- 
plation would disclose to me very wonderful appearances, wns 
quite delighted with my spiritual progress when I related to hini 
what I had experienced, lie then set me some new tasks. Wearied 
out at last with these tiresome follies, I gave them up, fearing 
they would altogether discompose my brain ; and 1 again betook 
myself to my old employment of a laborer." 

10. False-dawn: — The slight stir and awakening that occurs 



* Small's Sanskrit Literature. 



-JL 



NOTES. 217 

aliout two o'clock in the morning. The only pure divinity in the 
whole Hindu pantheon is Ushas, or the dawn, represented as a 
b'-autiful maiden. The sun and the moon both wished to woo 
her, bat she turned them into calves for their audacity, and only 
released them at the earnest request of their wives 

11^ the King 

Of Life and Glory cometh I 

People brought up in the Christian faith, when reading of Buddha 
and In's teachings, should constantly bear in mind the caution of 
W, Rhys Davids in his article on Buddhism in the Cyclopedia 
Brittanica. He says, " Christian ideas must not be put into Budd- 
hist expressions." In reading the above quotation our minds at 
once revert to God as the " King of Life and Glory," but the 
king intended is Surya, the Sun. 

13. After the manner of a lUshi, Jiailed 

The rising orb. . 

" Before the risins: of the sun the devout Hindu must have rinsed 
his mouth, cleaned his teeth with a particular twig, in a particular 
attitude, and bathed in a stream or body of water, Avith repeated 
dinpings, gesticulations and prayers. The G.lyati, held to be the 
most sacred verse in the Vedas— * Let us meditate on the sacred 
light of that divine sun, that it may illuminate our mmds,'— 
must be repeated "mentally, as often as the v.orshiper can do 
it while he closes his mouth and nostrils, eifecting the latter by 
rule. It is the most orthodox of gesticulations, and is performed 
bv placing the two longest fingers of the right hand on the left 
nostril, inhaling through the light, closing the right with the 
thumb and when tiie breathing can be no longer suspended rais- 
in «• the fingers and exhaling by the left nostril.'* After many 
prayers addressed with proper gestures to the ten minds lodged 
in various parts of the body, to the four cardinal points of heaven ; 
heaven earth, himself, the elements, his prayer and the whole of 
the aods in a body, he addresses the following to thf sun : ' Thou 
art i3rahma when thou lisest ; Siva in thy middle course ; Vishnu 
at thy settino- : Thou art the precious stone of the air ; king of 
day • observt^r of our deeds ; the eye of tlie world ; tiie measure 
of 'time ; Lord of the nine planets ; he that blotteth out the sms 
of those' who honor him, and expels darkness on the return of the 
twenty-four hours ; he who, in his chariot, bounds over the 
mountains of the north, whicli stretches ninety millions five liun- 
dred and ten yojanas ; Thee will 1 praise with my utmost strength ; 
and do thou, in thy mercy, forgive all iniquities.' This prayer is 
closed with twelve, twenty-four or forty-eight obeisances to the 



* Wilsou's Relig ion of Kindua. 



KBTWRVieVr, 



»*— * 



2l8 NOTES. 

Sun,*' * These seemingly senseless gesticulations and attitudes 
are followed with the thought that they assist in fixing the mind 
upon the object to be venerated, and drawing it away from the 
distractions of material life. 

13. Togis : — The term Yogi is applied to the followers of the 
Yoga school of philosophy, whose chief tenet is that it is possible, 
even in this life, to acquire entire command over elementary 
matter by means of certain ascetic practices. Their principal 
methods are, long-continued suppressions of the breatli, of in- 

/ haling and exhaling in a particular manner, of sitting in eighty- 
four different attitudes, and of fixing the eyes on the top of the 
nose. They profess to be able to attain the power of performing 
miracles, which leads them into the cultivation of the arts of 
necromancy, until at present they are little better than traveling 
mountebanks. They carry with them trained goats, monkeys, or 
animals v/ith some sort of lapsus naturce, as a fifth leg, and beg 
and perform various tricks. 

14. JJraJimdchdris : — A student class of mendicants. 

15. Bhikshiis: — A higher order of Buddhist ascetics. 

16. A gaunt and monrnfid hand : — No nation has devised so 
many paiiiful methods of seeking final salvation as have the Hin- 
dus; the religious orders and sects are numerous, and are followed by 
men of all dispositions ; the truly religious, wlio in darkness feel 
after God if haply they may find Him ; the lazy, who hud rather 
beg than v/ork ; the vain, who love to attract attention by their 
seeming holiness ; and the vicious, who in a saint's robe find larger 
liberty for passion. A few of these sects as at present existing in 
India may be noticed. The Khfikis are so called on account of their 
rubbing their bodies all over with ashes. They go about almost 
naked, and lead a wandering life. The Visaktas go bare-headed, 
and must have but one garment and one water pot. The Sakhi 
Bliaras worship Radha, the mistress of Krishna, so exclusively that 
they even clothe themselves as women, and follow their occupa- 
tions. The Sunyasis are sturdy beggars bedaubed with ashes to 
make themselves hideous. The Nagas go entirely naked, and of 
all classes are the most worthless and profligate. They carry arms, 
and are a dangerous people. The Akalis go fully armed; tbey 
carry the chakra or discus, and are very expert in its use. They 
can throw it a hundred feet and cut off a man's head with unerring 
certainty. The Mahansas go naked in all weathers, and never 
speak or beg. They are almost entirely helpless; the people think 
it a merit to care for them. The Aghoris, a sect nearly rooted out 
by the English government, required human victims for their sac- 
rifices. They carry a pole with a shoe, a water pot, a skull and 

* Abbe Dubois, vol. li. 



NOTES. 219 

human bones fastened on the top. They eat carrion and filth, and 
rub themselves with it to make themselves disgusting, thus com- 
pelling decent people to comply with their requests, that they 
may be rid of them. The Vakis believe in the great merit of per- 
sonal torture; they distort their limbs, cause the nails to grow 
through the hand, or hold their hands above the head for years. 
The Vamacharis require flesh, fish, wine and women in their wor- 
ship, that is conducted with great secrecy. Everywhere in India 
these mendicants may be seen wandering about in their filth or yel- 
low robes colored with red ocher. They are at once objects of ter- 
ror and veneration to the common people, who give of their hard- 
earned and scanty store to support these miserable creatures. 

17. Only great Brahm endures : the Gods hut live : — The great 
aim of Hindu devotees who enter upon their painful life from 
religious conviction is to obtain liberation from future terres- 
trial existence, and speedy absorption into great Brahm, the 
creative spirit. That this union will eventually occur is to them 
a settled matter, but as the time is tolerably far removed, they 
seek to hasten the event. " The elements of form developed from 
primary matter remain unaltered for a day of Brahm, an interval 
of 2,160,000,000 years. At the end of this period, Brahm sleeps. 
The material forms which then occupy the world and the lower 
spheres of the universe are then consumed by fire ; the fire is ex- 
tinguished by mighty rains, and the globe becomes a shoreless 
ocean. The sages, the gods, the elements survive, and when 
Brahm awakes and finds what mischief his slumbers have gene- 
rated, he sets to work to repair it. With the materials ready to his 
hands he remanufactures the earth and its inhabitants, and this 
is what is intended by a secondary creation. This creation is re- 
peated daily during the one hundred years of Brahm's existence. 
At the end of this term Brahma himself expires, and with him die 
all the gods and holy sages, and alP forms whatever retrograde 
successively into their constituent elements, until the whole is 
finally merged into the single or double rudiment of being, uni- 
versal spirit, or primary matter and primary spirit, according to 
the theories of the dualistic or non-dualistic philosophers. After 
a considerable interval, similar causes produce similar effects ; 
nature and spirit are again in movement, the creation is renewed, 
and the universe thus eternally fluctuates between existence and 
non-existence, without any motive, without any end." * This 
universal, unconscious spirit is known to most of the Hindu sects" 
as Brahm, the creator of Brahma, who in turn creates the universe. 

18. Rdjdputra : — Prince's son. 

19. Malaya /—The islands of the Indian Archipelago. 




220 NOTES. 

20. Tola : — T\yo ounces. 

21. Sona's distant stream : — Tlie river Golden. 

22. Cowries : — Small shells ; from one liundred to one linndred 
and twenty make the value of a cent. 

23. ■ from the unwatched rice 

Shiva's v:hii6 biUl fed free. 

In the ten J pies of Shiv white bulls are kept as emblems of the 
god ; these are frequently turned loose in the streets, and none 
dare abuse tlicni whatever they may do. The grain merchants 
have their stores dumped on cloths on the ground in a, most con- 
venient manner, as the bulls soon learn. Ihe merchants, to save 
themselves from loss, when tliey see a bull approaching meet him 
with handfuls of grain and entice him beyond their stalls. 

24. Lotd .-—See note 41, Book the Third 

25. Sdkra : — Indni. 

26. Devardj : — The prince god. 

27. Mantras : — See note 38, Book the First. 

28. Of ghee : — Clarified butter ; milky juice of the moon plant ; 
acid ascelpias. 

29. Soma juice : — This drink was very much used in ancient 
worship, but at present is aliiost unknown, and it is with difficulty 
that a priest can be found who understands its preparation. It is 
supposed to give health, wisdom, inspiration, even immortality, 
when received from the hands of a twice-born priest. Dr. Ilaug, 
an eminent Sanskrit scholar who resided some years in Western 
India, found a priest who, for a very mercenary consideration, 
consented to reproduce the ceremonies of the ancient sacrifices. 
He brewed Soma juice, of which Dr. Haug says : " The sap of the 
plant now used at Poona appears whitish, has a very stringent 
taste, is bitter, but not sour ; it is a very nasty drink, and has 
some intoxicating effect. I tasted it several times, but it was im- 
possible for me to drink more than some spoonfuls." 

30. Muiija grass : — A grass of which roofs are made, also ropes 
and girdles. The laws of Manu require that a priest's girdle shall 
be made of IMunja grass, 

31. Ya.jnas : — Sacrifices. 

82. Bliahsdra : — 'I'he prince who became one of Buddha's 
earliest disciples, and who gave to him the Bamboo garden where 
he spent a large part of his life. 

33. But Buddha sojtly said: — Though Buddhism as a religion 
has long since departed from India, the effects of Buddha's teach- 
ings remain in a most marked degree. Through his teachings sacri- 
fices of blood and animals, that previously were considered in- 
dispensable, were almost entirely abandoned. The killing of 
animals, eating flesh and drinking intoxicants were generally dis- 
continued save by the lowest of the people. Buddhism left the 




lOTES. 221 

people of India vegetarians and total abstainers from spirituous 
liquors. 

o4. His sacred thread: — When young, boys of the Brabmin, and 
some of the princes at nine years of age * are invested witli the 
triple cord. It consists of coarse cotton threads, that when a man 
marries is increased to nine. 

The ceremonies of investiture last four days and are full of 
trifling detail, and very expensive. Hindus of every caste believe 
it to be a meritorioas act to contribnte to the necessary expenses. 
The cotton of which the cord is made is sown, watered, gathered 
and spun by Brahmins. The instant it is touched in any stage by a 
person of another caste it loses its sacredness and niu.st be re- 
placed. It is worn over the left shoulder, and hangs down to the 
right hip. 

85. Sdkra : — Indra. 

S3. Dens : — Bright ones, goddesses. 

37. Bhdsters : — Scrijitural writings of the Brahmins. 

o8. Uravilr.a : — is si:uated on the northernmost s"^ur of the 
Vindhya range. 

39. Sruti : — Revealed Scriptures. 

40. Smriti : — Traditional Scriptures. 

41. Jncuia-Kdnd : — Theological portion of the Vedas. 

42. Karmma-Kdnd : — Ritual portion of the Vedas. 

BOOK THE SIXTH 

1. 21ioiisand Gardens: — See on the map of Iidia in Coiton's 
large Atlas-Hazareebagh. 

2. Mahiia : — Same as mohra ; see Note 16, Book the Fourth. 

3. Sansdr : — Hemp. 

4. Bir : — Fig trees. 

5. Barabar hills : — The eastern portion of the Vindhya range. 
The origin of this range is given by the Hindus as follows' : Wireii 
Haimnuin, the monkey god, and his hosts were assisting Rama to 
regain his wife Sita from the King of Ceylon, they were oblis-ed 
to build a bridge from the main-land to Ceylon ; for this purpose 
they brought roclcs from the Himalaya mountains, nearly 1,500 
miles distant. When the bridge was completed word was sent 
back to tiie monkeys still coming with rocks that no more were 
needed, n-hereupon they cast down their loads, hence these hills. 
Between the main-land and Ceylon a rocky causeway still makes it 
necessary for ships to circumnavigate the island, instead of pass- 
ing the channel. 

6. Village of Sendni : — Named for the army general, who was 
at that time the peaceful head man of the place. 

7. jLhe 7narkSy thirty aiid two .'—See note 40, B:>ok the First. 



I 

i 



222 



NOTES. 



8. Sdl-hrancfi : — See note 41, Book tlie Second. 

9. Jambu-hranches : — See note 88, Book tlie First. 
IQ. Milk in the shepherd's lota: — In bis drinking cap. 

11. "lam a Sudra, and my touch defiles: " — Caste causes strang-e 
contradictions. Bralimia and Sudra will take milk from one gout 
or cow, but not from tbe same cup, nor water from tbe same well 
or sprinc^. Tbe Brabmin will take from tbe Sudra uncooked 
food, and fruit, but not cooked food. Wben I was traveling in tbe 
Himalayas our coolies, dirty, lousy, ill-smelling fellows, would not 
take water from a spring in wbicb any of our company bad 
dipped our cups, or from tbe stream unless tbey could go so7ne 
distance above and get tbe water bigber up. Tbey would travel 
tbirsty for miles, ratlier tban defile tbemselves. 

12. Tilka-mark : — Tbe tilka-mark and sacred tbread are never 
giv^en to any one of low birtb. Tbe tilka-mark varies in different 
castes and sects. One sect, tbe Kamanujas, liave two pyrpendica- 
lar wbite lines drawn from tbe root of tbe liair to tbe commence- 
ment of each eyebrow, and a transverse streak connecting tbem 
across tbe root of tbe nose ; in tbe center is a perpendicular streak 
of red, made witb a preparation of rice, turmeric, and lime witb 
acid. Tbey also bave streaks on tbe breast and eacb upper arm. 
Tbe marks are supposed to represent tbe sbell, discus, club and 
lotus wbicb Visbnu bears in bis four bands, wbile tbe centr.;! 
streak is Laksbmi, Some have tbe objects carved on wouiicu 
stamps witb wbicb tbey impress the emblems on tbeir bodies, and 
some even cicatrize tbemselves v/itb heated metallic representa- 
tions. Another sect wear two red perpendicular lines, meeting in 
a Sfmicircle on tbe top of tbe nose, witb a round spot of red be- 
tween tbem ; others mark tbe forehead with transverse lines of 
ashes, and others put the sign of worship and caste on the temples 
and ears. 

13. the nautch-dancerSy 

Of Indrd's temple. 

In families where there is a surplus of girls, one is frequently 
dedicated or married to the god of a temple. Tbe girl has no 
choice whatever in the matter, and is usually very young v/ben 
l)laced in tbe temple service. Her life is one of the lowest x>rosti- 
tution. Tbey are taught to dance, a performance which in itself 
is not so indecent as the dances of Western nations, but tbe object 
is frankly admitted. Tbey are also taught to read and several 
accomplishments to make them attractive — a fact that has siooJ 
greatly in the w^ay when respectable women desired education, 
le.^t tbey should be set down in the same class. 

14. The piping hdnsidl : — A hollow bamboo played as a flute. 

15. A three-string sitdr : — The introduction of tbe sitar in tbis 
poem is something of an anachronism, as the sitar was invented by 



NOTES. 223 

a MuliPvinedan over a tliousand years later. Sitar is derived from 
tlie ^Persian si, tliree, and td, string. It resembles a guitar witii 
a liollow gourd for a body. 

I'o. Sendni : — An army general. 

17. Sujdta : — Nobly born, 

18. Wherefo7'e loith many prayers she had 'besought 
Lakshvii; and many nights at full-moon gone 
Round the great Lingam, nine times nine, with gifts 
Of rice and jasmine wreaths and sandal oil. 

On a certain mocniight night in mid winter, Sliiv, or his emblem, 
the Lingam or Ling, is to be worshiped witli jasmine flowers, and 
particular offerings are made to his bride by the Avomen, of liowers, 
incense, lights and condiments, in hope of securing children. At 
this season, also, " women walk in the forests with a fan in one 
hand, and eat certain vegetables in hope of beautiful children.'* 

JNIr. Ward gives a fuller account of these observances : " The 
worship is performed by a Brahmin, under tho vata tree — Fiscus 
Indica — or under a branch of this tree planted in the house. At 
the time of this worship every woman of the village, dressed in 
her best clothes, with her face painted, her ornaments on, and her 
body anointed with oil, goes to the place of worship under the tree, 
taking in her hand an olLering, over each of whicli the ofHciating 
Brahmin performs the usual sacriflces. The offerings are sent to 
the house of th^ Brahmin, or distributed to th.e eager bystanders. 
Among others who are ej^ger to obtain some of these offerings are 
childless women, each of whom sits down pensively among the 
crowd, and opens the end of her garment to receive what the 
mothers are glad to bestow, when the giver says, 'May the bless- 
ing of Shasti be upon you, and next year may you bring offerings 
with a child in your arras.* " 

19. Lakshmi : — Goddess of fortune and prosperity. 

20. Lingam : — Carved representation of the male organs, 

21. Bevs : — Gods. 

22. Sari : — Skirt and veil in one piece. 

23. And tie the scarlet threads around the tree : — " On a day dur- 
ing a most popular festival held in March, the women worship the 
Anola tree — Pliyllanthus Emblica — a kind of myrobalan. On this 
occasion libations are poured at the foot of the tree, a red or yel- 
lovv' thread is bound round the trunk, prayers are offered up for 
its fruitfulness, and the ceremony is concluded by a reverential 
inclination of the head to the ancient tree, whose branches bear 
the marks of village reverence and care." * 

24. In silver lotas : — See 41, Book the Third. 

25. Tulst-2?lant ;— See 7, Book the Third. 

* Missionary's Vade Mecum. 



224 



NOTES. 



26. WJien "by Ms side I stand and serve the calces : — No wife eats 
with lier husband among the Hindus. She sets the meal before 
him, and eats what he sees fit to leave her. 

27. Sfwerga : — The Swarga of the Hindus, and Bihisht of the 
Muhamedans, indicate Paradise as a place of luxury and sensual 
enjoyments, while Narak and Jahannam are those cares and pains 
that make a hell upon earth. 

28. Ghampak : — See I^ote 1, Book the Second. 

29. 1 should mount 

The^ile and lay that dear head in rny laij. 

This refers to Suttee, or the practice of burning the living wife 
with her dead husband. Suttee was abolished in 1829, by Lord 
Bentinck, Governor General of India. 

80. Cror : — Ten millions. 

31. Bodhi-tree : — The peepul tree, or tree of wisdom. A few 
hundred yards west of the Nilajan river, in a plain of great extent, 
about five miles from Gaya Proper, there are remarkable remains, 
that now consist of a confused heap of brick and stone, exhibiting 
traces of having once been regularly arranged. There is a build- 
ing called the temple of Buddha, built of briclc, and lofty, now so 
honeycombed with age as to excite surprise that it continues erect. 
On the terrace behind the temple a peepul tree is growing, which 
the Hindus suppose to have been planted by Brahma. It is sup- 
posed by the Buddhists to be exactly in the center of the earth. 
In 1812, this tree was in fall vigor, and appeared to be about one 
hundred years of age; a familiar one may have been in the place when 
the temple was entire.* Miss Brittain gives an account of an old 
stone pillar which is said to be of Buddhist origin, and to have 
been built by Asoka, 240 B.C., for the purpose of inscribing upon 
it his edicts with regard to spreading the Buddhist religion. It 
was formerly the custom to place in front of these monuments a 
peepul tree. 

This pillar had at one time such a tree beside it, but many years 
ago the tree was removed, and placed in an old temple near by. 
" You enter this temple, which is now only a dark cave, or grotto, 
and are led down a long, dark, narrov/ passage by a Br/ihrniu 
priest carrying a torch, the smell and smoke of which, combined 
with the damp fumes of the place, render a long visit impossible. 
At the end of the dark passage is a large square, which must 
formerly have been a court-yard ; further on is the principal 
chamber of tlie temple. Here is the peepul tree. It is just the 
trunk of a tree separated near the ground into two large limbs or 
arms. These limbs are cut ofO short, so that the whole length of 
the tree is probably only ten or twelve feet. From this body and 



* ]\iauiial of Buddhism. 



— *— ■ 



NOTES. 225 

arms there proceed a great many young sprouts ; tliese, however, 
are prevented from ever becoming- larger by the number of X"iil- 
grims visithig this holy spot, who each carry away a leaf or twig. 
Tlie leaves are perfectly white. It is a wonderful thing, this tree, 
thus living and growing for hundreds of years, under ground, 
and in utter darkness. 
33. The koil sang her hymn : — The cuckoo. 

33. Voices of earth and car joined in one song: — Oriental writers 
with glowing descriptions always represent all nature, celestial 
and terrestrial, as cognizant of, and acting in accord with, spiritual 
manifestations. When the Hindu King Bijala, iu a moment of 
wickedness, commanded the eyes of two holy men to he put out, 
his fortune left him, and grievous signs followed : the crows 
crowed in the night, jackals howled by day, the sun was eclipsed, 
storms of wind and rain came on, the earth shook, di'.rkness over- 
spread the heavens, and the inliabitants of the ciiy were filled 
v.'ith terror. In Persian writings the idea that nature is " 'wa,re and 
glad" though men, by the hardness of their hearts, may not per- 
ceive it, is constantly presented. The following is from the 
Gulistan, by Sheikh Sadi in the 13th century. 

" Once I traveled to Hejaz along with some young men of virtuous 
disposition, who had been my intimate friends and constant com- 
panions. Frequently, in their mirth, they recited spiritual verses. 
There liappened to be in the party an Abid, who thought un- 
favorably of the morals of Durweshes, being" ignorant of their 
sufferings. At length we arrived at tlie grove of palm trees of 
Beni Hullal, when a boy of a dark complexion came out of one of 
the Arab families, and sung in such a strain as arrested the birds 
in their flight through the air. I beheld the Abid's camel danc- 
ing, and after flinging his rider, he took the road of the desert. I 
said : ' O Sheikh, those strains delighted the brutes, but made no 
impression on you ; knowest thou what the nightingale of the 
morning said to me? What kind of a man art thou, who art 
ignorant of love ? The camel is thrown into ecstasy b5' the Arabic 
verses, for which, if thou hast no relish, thou art a cross-grained 
brute. . When the camel is captivated v/ith ecstatic frenzy, that 
man who can be insensible is an ass. The wind blowing over the 
plains causes the tender branches of the fan-tree to bend before it, 
but affects not the hard stone. Everything that you behold is ex- 
claiming the praises of God, as is well known to the understand- 
ing heart ; not only the nightingale and the rose bush are chant- 
ing praises to God, but every thorn is a tongue to extol him.' " 

34. But he irho is the Prince 
Of Darkness, Mara. 

The legend says that Mara came to Siddartha as he was leaving 
his home and besought him toiemainand enjoy life as a chakravar- 
8 



226 NOTES. 

tin, but tlie Prince answered in a miglity voice : " A thousand or 
a hundred thousand honors such as these to which you refer would 
have no power to charm nie to-day. I seek the Buddhaship. I want 
not the seven treasures of the chakravartin ; therefore, begone, 
hinder me not." Mara, perceiving that his kingdom would eventual- 
lybeoome depopulated through Buddha's merit, left him, angrily de- 
claring that he should not cease to tempt him by every device iu 
his po\ver. He kept his word, but on the day when the Prince 
should become Buddha, he assembled his hosts for the final battle. 
This is described in the curious, but tedious, extravagance of 
Buddhist writers in the legends, of which but a hint can be given. 
It is said that Mara mounted on an elephant one thousand miles 
high, and marched to the assault with an attendant army one hun- 
dred and sixty-four miles long, each warrior in the shape of some 
horrid monstrosity. He sent a mighty wind against Buddha, which 
hurled rocks thirty miles high, but it could not lift a hair of his 
head. He poured a rain whose drops were as big as palm trees, 
but their scattering spray could not touch Buddha. One hundred 
thousand burning mountains were transformed by the gentleness 
of the Buddhist spirit into flowers that fell at his feet. The 
result of the temptation was that one hundred and thirty-six 
burning hells opened, scattering the hosts of evil, when the ele- 
phant, with his trunk in his mouth and his tail between his legs, 
ran away. All this extravagant story was probably first given as 
an allegorical description of an enlightened mind struggling with 
the power of evil, 
85. Arati : — Pain. 

36. Trishnd : — Avarice, desire, or thirst. 

37. Raga : — Passion. 

38. Kama : — The Indian Cupid, whose history bears much re- 
semblance to the Cupid of Grecian mythology. In Shakespeare's 
"Hindustani Dictionary" the story is given as follows : Kama 
was consumed by the fiery rage of Maliadeva for interrupting him 
in his devotion*?, and Rati, Kfima's wife and Venus of the Hindus, 
being disconsolate for the loss of her husband, was informed by 
Parvati, the wife of the enraged Mahadeva, that he would be 
born in the house of Krishna, and would have the name of Prady- 
umna ; but that Raja Sambara would steal him av/ay and cast him 
into the sea ; that theuce he would be taken in the belly of a fish 
to the kitchen of Sambara, and she must go and wait for him 
there. Following this advice, she remained in the kitchen of the 
Rcija till it happened that a large fish, on being opened by the 
cook, was found to contain another fish, and when this was opened 
a child issued from its belly. Rati, by command of the Kiija,, 
reared this child. When Kama was grown she made him ac- 
quainted with what Parvati had told her, and advised him to kill 



NOTES. 227 

gambara and return with her to the house of Krishna where he 
was born. This was accomplished, and Rati was married to him 
on his return to his parents. Hence Rati is considered as botli 
wife and mother of Kama. 

39. Sammcb Sanibuddh : — To perceive thoroughly, with calm 
peace of mind. 

40. Te7i great Virtues : — or Dasa sil, are ten obligations bind- 
ing upon a priest. They forbid : 1. The taking of life. 2. The 
taking of that which is not given. 3. Sexual intercourse. 4. The 
saj'ing of that which is not true. 5. The use of intoxicating 
drinks. 6. The eating of solid food afier midday. 7. Attendance 
upon dancing, singing, music and masks. 8. The adorning of the 
body with iiowers and the use of perfumes and ungaents. 9. The 
use of seats or couches above the prescribed height. 10. The re- 
ceiving of gold and silver. 

41. AbJiidjtia : — The line of all his lives in all the worlds. 
Many volumes of Buddhist literature are given to the ante-natal 
life of Buddha. According to one author his ^retrospect of past 
lives extended through ten millions of millions and one thousand 
kalpas, the shortest of which was sixteen millions of years, the 
longest thirty-two millions. 

42. Kalpas — Malialcalpas : — See Note 64, Book the First. 

43. Sakical : — "There are innumerable systems of worlds, each 
system having its own earth, sun, moon, etc. The space to which 
the light of the sun or moon extends is called a sakwala. Each 
sakv.'ala includes an earth, with its continents, islands and oceans, 
and a mountain in the center called Maha Meru, as well as a series 
of hells and heavens. The sakwalas are scattered throughout 
space, in sections of three and three. All the sakwalas in one 
section touch each other, and in the space between is the Lokimta- 
rika hell. Each sakwala is surrounded by a wall of rock called a 
sakwala-gala." * These sakwalas are innumerable, but were all 
Visible to Buddha and under the power of his teaching. 

44. Dukhya-satya : — The power of sorrow. 

45. Noble Truths : — Mr. Gogerly gives one of the most intelli- 
gible translations of these truths. They are ; " 1. That every ex- 
istent thing is a source of sorrow. 2. That continued sorrow re- 
sults from a continued attachment to existing objects, 3. That a 
freedom from this attachment liberates from existence. 4. The 
path leading to this state containing eight sections." 

46. Karmd : — is that which controls the destiny of all things, 
and includes both merit and demerit. This doctrine of Karma 
constantly appears in both Buddhist and Brahminical writings, 
with many shades of meaning and endless explanation. Buddha's 

^Manual of Buddhism. 



228 NOTES. 

own definition is : " All sentient beings have tlieir own individual 
Karmti, or tlie most essentia] property of all beings is Ivarma ; 8 
karma comes by inheritance, or tliat wliicli is inlierited — not from | 
parentage, but from previous birtlis, is karma ; karma is the f 
cause of all good and evil, or they come by means of karma, or on | 
account of karma ; karma is a kinsman ; karma is an assistant, or i 
that which promotes the prosperity of any one is his good karma ; | 
it is the difference in the karma, as to whether it be good or evil, j 
that causes the difference in the lot of men, so that some are mean, 3 
and others are exalted, some are miserable and others happy." | 
The listening disciple still found himself like a man with a ban- 1 
dage over his eyes, and unable to see the point, so he asked expla- | 
nation at length ; after which he perceived that the d fferences in i 
the lot of men, as at present seen, are produced by the karma of | 
different births. . I 

47. Skandhas : — Elements of sentient existence. t? 

48. Upadanas : — Subordinate duties, or the cleaving to existing 
objects. 

49. Nirvana : — Buddhism, in common with all other religions, is 
divided into many sects, each holding their peculiar shades of doc- 
trine and belief. The great subject with them for debate and 
speculation is Nirvana. Not more continuous or prolix are our 
disquisitions, or wordy and heated are our debates on the subject 
of future punishment, than are the treatises and discussions in 
bazar and temple, by Brahmins as well as Buddiiists, on Nirvana. 
The most generally accepted idea among Brahmins is that of re- 
union with original spirit, Brahm. The Vedas say of the soul ; 
** The soul is a portion of the Supreme Ruler, as a spark is of fire. 
The relation between them is not that of master and servant, ruler 
and subject, but both that of whole and part." Among some this 
idea prevails : " The living soul, at the death of the body, attended 
with all its faculties, retires within a rudiment body composed of 
light, with the rest of the five elements in a subtile state. In that 
condition the soul, united to a subtile elementary frame, conjoined 
with the vital faculties, remains till the dissolution of the world, 
when it merges in the Supreme Deity. That frame is impercep- 
tible to those who see the death of the body. It is not injured by 
the burning of the body or anything else. It can be known by its 
heat as long as it remains in the gross body." The following ex- 
tracts represent a few shades of opinion respecting Nirvana among 
Buddhists. 

" Spence Hardy and Bigandet find in the modern Singhalese 
and Burmese books the same opinion concerning Nirvana as Alvia 
Gogerly, and especially Childers, have found in the more ancient 
authorities ; and though the modern books of the Northern Bud- 
dhists are doubtful, Eugene Burnouf has clearly proved that their 



NOTES. 229 

older texts contain only the same doctrines as that held in the 
south. Buddhism does not acknowledge the existence of a soul as 
distinct from the parts and powers of man which are dissolved at 
death, and the Nirvana of Buddhism is simply extinction." * 

* ' Nirvana is not extinction or going out of the soul, but it is 
the going out in the heart of the three fires of lust, anger and de- 
lusion, and the craving from which they come." f 

The Buddhists of Burmah define Nirvana or Nigban as freedom 
from old age, disease and death. 

Professor Max Miiller says: ''According to the metaphysical 
tenets, if not of Buddha himself, at least of his sect, there is no 
reality anywhere, neither in the past nor in the future. True wis- 
dom consists in perceiving the nothingness of all things, and in a 
desire to beer me nothing, to be blown out, to enter into Nirvana. 
Emancipation is obtained by total extinction, not by absorption 
into Brahm, or by a recovery of the soul's true state. If to he is 
misery, not to be must be felicity ; and this felicity is the highest 
reward which Buddha promised his disciples. 

" One school believes that Nirvritti or Nirvana is nature or sub- 
Stance in repose, another claims that it is annihilation. The earli- 
est written works which we possess on Buddliism were composed 
by Buddha's pupils and friends; these teach that Nirvana is anni- 
hilation, not absorption." X 

Professor Wilson says that in the Saddharma Lankavatarva, 
Sakya is represented as confuting all the Brahminical notions of 
Nirvana, and concludes by expounding it to be the complete anni- 
hilation of the thinking principle, illustrating his doctrine by the 
comparison generally employed, of the exhaustion of the light of 
a lamp which goes out of itself. In the Brahma jala, or Pali Sutra, 
where again Sakya is made to confute sixty-two Brahminical here- 
sies, he winds up by saying: " Existence is a tree; the merit or 
demerit of the actions of men is the fruit of that tree, and the seed 
of future trees ; death is the withering away of the old tree from 
which others have sprung ; wisdom and virtue take away the ger- 
'minating principle, so that when the tree dies there is no repro- 
duction. This is Nirvana." 

50. Koil: — Cuckoo. 

51. BulbuL : — Nightingale. 

52. Myna: — Indian robin. 

53. Frets: — Evil spirits. 

54. ^M^« .-—Ghosts. 

55. Ban : — Wilderness. 

56. Jungle : — Wild country. 

* Cyclopedia Brittanica. 

t T. W, Rhys Davids, in Fortnightly Review. 

j Chips from a German Workshop. 



230 NOTES. 

57. Cheetahs : — Small hunting leopards. 

58. BodkUree ;— See Note 81, Book the Sixth. 

59. Many a House of Life, etc, : — These stanzas are thus trans- 
lated by Turnoui* : "Performing my pilgrimage through the 
eternity of countless existence, in sorrow have I unremittingly 
sought in vain the abode of the passions {i. e., the human frame). 
Now, O, artificer ! art thou found. Henceforth no receptacle of 
sinshalt thou form, thy frames broken; tliy ridge-pole shattered; 
tliy soul — or mind — emancipated from liability to regenerati9n — by 
transmls^ration — has annihilated the dominion of the passions.'' 

Mr. Gogerly translates thus: 

*' Through various transmigrationa 
I must travel if I do not discover 
The builder whom I seel?:; — 
Painful are repeated transmigrations. 
I have seen the architect — and said — 
'Thou Shalt not build me another house ; 
Thy rafters are broken, 
Thy roof timbers scattered, 
My mind is detached from all existing objects; 
I have attained to the extinction 01 desire.' '^ 

Mr. Hardy gives still another translation : 

' ' Through many different births 
I have run (to me not having found) 
Seeking the architect of the desire resembling house. 
Painful arerepeited births 1 

house-builder ! I have seen thee— 
Again a hou -e thou canst not build for me. 

1 nave broken thy rafters, 

Thy central support is destroyed ; 

To Nirvana my mind is gone. 

I have arrive i at the extinction of evil-desire." 

Our minds, trained to the idea of a creating Deity, and the need 
of a knowledge of Him, naturally suppose that this architect, this 
" Builder of this Tabernacle," must refer to some divine person ; 
but in so doing we make the mistake of putting " Christian ideas 
into Buddhist expressions." Mr. Gogerly's and Mr. Hardy's 
translations indicate that desire is the occasion of recreation, and 
in overcoming this, in blotting out desires, good or evil, the end 
is attained. Mr. Arnold in his translation says: "'Delusion 
fashioned it." This interpretation would bring Buddha's mean- 
ing of architect in accord with the doctrine of Maya, Illusion, or 
Delusion, one of the most ancient ?md popular doctrines of India. 
Maya is personified in Hindu scriptures as the wife of Brahm. 
Bi-ahm, after seventy-two ages of silence, desired to renew the 
world ; his desire became manifest in a female form — Maya, 
from whom all the mistaken notions current among mankind 
originate. The Hindu triad — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv — were the 
offspring of Brahm and Maya ; Brahm disappears, and Maya, de- 



NOTES. 231 

ceiving" her own sons, becomes by them the mother of Saraswati, 
Lakshmi and Uma, whom she weds to her sons, and, establishing 
lierself at Jwala mukhi, leaves the three wedded pairs to frame 
the universe and give currency to the errors of practice and belief 
she has taught them. In the schools of philosophy it is asserted 
that "the illusive power of ignorance produces the universe 
from the eggs of Brahni." It is also affirmed that matter exists 
not independent of perception, and that substances are indebted 
for their seeming reality to the ideas of the mind. Our intellects 
are purified by abstraction, and until we have attained a just ap- 
preciation of our own nature, and of that of universal spirit, our 
ideas are all wrong. Until the day of true knowledge dawns 
upon us we are asleep — in a dream ; we misconceive of all we 
perceive, we take a rope for a snake ; an oyster-shell for mother- 
of-pearl, mirage for real water. All that we see in our unillumi- 
nated condition is Maya, deception, illusion. There are no two 
tilings in existence ; there is but one in all. There is no second, 
no matter ; there is spirit alone. The world is not God ; there is 
nothing but God in the world. Nature is compelled to assume 
the corporeal form that the ends of Spirit may be fulfilled, namely, 
that it may be embodied, until by a series of transmigrations it 
has no longer need of such a state ; it has attained knowledge, 
which is the cause of its liberation, and its connection with matter 
ceases."* 

" Soul desists," says the Sankhya Rarika, " because he has 
seen — or fully understood — nature. Nature ceases, or withdraws, 
because she has been seen." 

"The union of spirit and matter, as the receiver and received, 
is without beginning. The origin of this tmion is Maya. The 
perfection of spirit is to be attributed to liberation from this 
union, and this is sought in the acquisition of discriminating wis- 
dom. Actions performed under the influence of Maya are fol- 
lowed by eight millions of births in connection with some caste, 
with an appointed period of life, and subjection to the fruit of 
actions. This illusion, from whence arise the effects of actions, 
is to be destroyed by discriminating wisdom in reference to the 
Divine nature, leading to the reception of truth — God — and de- 
liverance from the sorrows of transmigration." Another class of 
Hindu philosophers, in their subdivision of Sakti, or Maya, into 
four qualities — knowledge, desire, energy and deception — show 
even more plainly what we are to understand by " the architect 
of the desire resembling house." They claim that the first Sakti, 
or knowledge, by its partial extension, produces pain and sleep ; 
but the Sakti of Desire unfortunately obscures that of knowledge. 



L 



232 NOTES. 

and liinders it from perceiving that there is no other deity but the 
material body, propagation, life and death. From this ignorant 
deviation, occasioned by Desire, the inclinations of men are de- 
rived. The truly wise man, who would acquire knowledge of 
truth and nature, must therefore renounce desire. 

"But," asks a new proselyte of a sage, " as all individuals are so 
many deities, or rather modifications of the same god, why are 
they not all endowed with the same talents and equal penetration ; 
why are the greater part devoid of sublime intelligence?" The 
sage answered, "The evil proceeds entirely from the fourth Sakti 
Maya, or Illusion. It is the cause of all deception, and makes men 
take what is false for what is true. It has misled men into the 
belief that there are gods; that there are such vicissitudes as living 
and dying pollution and purification. The only means of shunning 
the errors of Maya is to cliug to the doctrine of Buddhism." 

BOOK THE SEVENTH. 

1. Wasania-time : — A festival held in the spring in honor of 
Kamadeva, the god of love. 

2. Hastinpilr: — Ancient Delhi, the remains of which still exist 
about fifty-seven miles north-east of the modern city, on the banks 
of the old channel of the Ganges. 

3. Purdah; — Curtain. 

4. With naked feet: — The people of India never wear shoes in 
the house. They always slip them off on the verandah. 

5. When they came uithout the purdah's folds: — The women of 
India who are of high rank and caste are not allowed to go outside 
of their own apartments except they are closely veiled and attended, 
neither may any man sa\e husband, father or brothers, go behind 
the curtains separating the women's rooms from the r^st of the 
house. The curtains are made of long, fine splints of bamboo, and 
lined with gauze. The women can look through these into the 
lighter outer apartments, but those outside cacnot look within. 
These merchants standing outside the curtain displayed their goods 
and told their news, but saw not Yasodhara. 

6. Budhi-tree: — See Note 31, Book the Sixth. 

7. Tchirika: — A tree, Pinus Longifolia. 

8. Mara's wrath: — See Note 34, Book the Sixth. 

9. Twelve Middnas: — Twelve treasures, or the eleven degrees of 
contemplation that lead to Nirvana the last and twelfth degree. 

10. lie taught the Five: — The five ascetics who were Buddha's 
companions during the six years he sought the truth. 

11. Vaishya: — This month corresponds to half of April and May 

12. Ihe iHsMs^'—rxefevs to the five ascetics, Buddha's former 
companions. 



NOTES. 233 

13. Four Truths .'—See Note 45, Book the Sixth. 

14. Ydsad the Prince: — was the sou of Sajata, who gave to Bud- 
dha the food that refreshed him for his mighty conflict with Mara. 
Yasad went to Buddha by night to inquire the way ; he became a 
priest and entered the first path. His fifty-fcur companions went to 
the monastery to induce him to return and play with them as usual, 
but when they saw his changed appearance they resolved to be- 
come priests also, and shortly entered the paths. 

15. Gdthd ; — A hymn not from the Vedas. 

16. Yojans : — About ten miles. 

17. Soiia : — River Golden. 

18. Kos : — A kos is two miles, 

19. Rahula's mother : — A Hindu never calls his wife by name : 
before she becomes a mother she is known as "that one/' or 
" admi," a person ; afterward the husband always speaks of his 
wife as such a boy's mother. The woman also speaks of her hus- 
band as the son's father. 

20. As the night-Uoicing moon-floicer' s swelling heart : — The 
moon-plant is a climber. The leaves, in shape, are like 
those of the convolvulus major, but much larger, and on the 
under side are covered with a silvery down. The flowers are 
white and like huge morning-glories, each one measuring from 
four to five inches across. They open only by moonlight. 

21. as pale asdka buds 

Wait for a icoman'sfoot. 

The blossoms of the asoka tree (see Note 2, Book the Fourth^ 
emit a delightful fragrance when wet with the dew just after sun- 
set and before sunrise, or at the time when women step forth for 
air and exercise. 

22. MogrdS' : — Double Arabian jasmine. 

23. Udayi : — Named for the great Eastern mountain behind 
which the sun is supposed first to rise. Udayi was born at the 
same time as Buddha, and his part in the renunciation was fore- 
ordained. 

24. Tree-icool : — The cotton from the sembhal, or cotton tree. 
Not all men were so profoundly impressed with Buddha's teach- 
ing. An old hymn of the Northern Buddhists tells how Buddha 
met, full of his newly-discovered mission, an acquaintance on the 
way as he was going to the Deer Forest the day after his attain- 
ment of Buddhahood to preach his doctrine to his old friends. 
He was struck with Buddha's appearance, and asked him what 
religion made him so glad and yet so calm. Buddha told him that 
he had now become free from all desires. His acquaintance appar- 
ently cared little for this, and asked him where he was going. 
The reply is striking. Buddha said: "I am now going to the 
city of Benares, to establish there a kingdom of righteousness, to 



234 NOTES. 

give liglit to those enshrouded in darkness, to open the gate of 
immoitality to men." His acquaintance sneered at liis high-flown 
pretensions, and asked what lie meant. Buddha replied : " I have 
completely conquered all evil passions, and am not tied down to 
material existence, I only live to be the prophet of perfect truth." 
"In that case," answered the man, "venerable Gotama, your 
way lies yonder, mine opposite," and leftbim. Probably most of 
us would have had the same feeling, if not the same words. 

25. Nirvana : — See Note 49, Book the Sixth. 

26. Nee^n : — See Note 33, Book the Second. 

27. Mango .-—See Note 80, Book the First. 

28. Masakhs : — Goat-skins in which Muhamedan water-carriers 
bear water, 

29. With silver lioicdalis : — Chairs of state, made purposely to 
strap on the elephant's back, 

30. Nigrodha : — Landscape garden. 
81. Bel-trees : — Thorny Bengal quince. 

33, Kshatriya : — Soldier caste. 

38, Chares : — A nearly obsolete English word, signifying 
labors. The same word in India, used adjectively, has nearly tlie 
same meaning. 

34, Lingain : — See Note 20, Book the Sixth. 

35, Pdshi : — Saint. 

36, Nohle Paths .-—See page 227 of the poem. 

37, BodJiisats : — Candidates for the Buddahood. 

38, Lanka : — Ceylon. 

89, Three seers : — Six pounds. 

40. Iwelve Niddnas : — See Note 9, Book the Seventh. 

41. Meru : — Same as Mount Sumeru. See Note 17, Book the 
First. 

42. And so the feet of sweet Tasodhara 
Passed into peace and bliss, being softly led. 

The story of Yasodhara's attainment of Nirvana is very beauti- 
ful, as a few outlines will indicate. " When Siddartha became an 
ascetic the Princess resolved upon following his example, but 
Suddhodana, in order to prevent it, placed, guards around the city, 
declaring to her that the Prince would return ; he was also fearful 
that, as she was so extremely beautiful, unless she was w^ell pro- 
tected the Princes of other countries might hear of her situation 
and come and take her away by force. But although she was 
thus prevented from going to the forest, she resolved to keep the 
ordinances of the recluse in the palace ; and for this purpose she 
had her head shaved, put on a yellow robe, and ate her food out 
of an earthen bowl. When Buddha visited Kapilavastu, after the 
attainment of his office, and on the second day after his ar- 
rival, she requested permissiou to become a priestess, but it 



NOTES. 



-OJ 



^vag not granted, as Baddlia saw tliat tlie rig-lit of entrance 
into the order of tlie female priesthood belonged to the queen- 
mother Mahaprajc'ipati. . . . In due time Yasodhara bo- 
came the rightful inheritor of all that had belonged to tSuddho- 
dana, Mahamaya, Maliaprajapati, Siddartha, Nanda, Rahula, 
Devadatta, and Suprabudha, but she regarded the whole with 
aversion, even as if it had been a dead snake tied round her neck. 
She walked with her attendant princesses nearly five hundred 
miles to reside near Buddha, refusing all offers of assistance on the 
journey, as all the l?ixuries of the world had been renounced. 
While at Sewet, she sometimes went to hear Buddha preach, and 
sometimes to inquire after the health of Rahula. On the evening 
of a certain day, as Yasodhara was sitting alone, she thought of all 
her friends who had already entered Nirvana. ' I was born on the 
same day as Buddha, and in regular order ought to enter the city 
of peace upon the same day ; but this would not be decorous to the 
great teacher. I am now seventy-eight years of age. In two 
years from this time Buddha will attain Nirvana. I will there- 
fore request permission to obtain this privilege from Buddha.' 
Accompanied by her attendants, slie went to the monastery of 
Buddha, and asked forgiveness for the faults she might at any 
time Lave committed, and then presented her request. Buddha 
said, 'You are the most vhtuous of women; but from the time 
you became an ascetic ycu ha-e not performed any miracle, so that 
s-jme. persons have doubted wliether you. are a rahat or not,' A 
great company assembled, but the Princess Thought that on account 
of the extreme beauty of her person it would not be proper to per- 
form a miracle in the same way as others, lest evil should nrise in 
the minds of such of the faithful as were not yet free from evil desire. 
IShe therefore related tlie history of her former births, then rose in 
the air and worshiped Buddha. The discourse that she delivered 
was upon the seven kinds of wives there are in the world of men. 
When all this Avas concluded, she retired to l;er own residence, 
and in the same night, while passing from contemplation to con- 
templation, saw the city of peace." 

43. MaMsammat : — the first monarch of the world, of the race 
of the sun, received existence by the apparitional birth. The ances- 
try of Buddha is traced through individuals all of royal dignity, 
by Buddhist historians back to this monarch ; these have evident- 
ly borrowed names or invented them, determined to shed all honor 
possible upon Ids name. 

44. Four noUe Truths .-—See Note 45, Book the Sixth. 

45. Those eight right Rules :—R\g\\.t views, high aims, kindly 
speech, upright conduct, harmless livelihood, perseverance in 
well-doing, intellectual activity, earnest thought. 

46. Stages i''(?iir;— Professor Mas Muller thus describes the 



236 NOTESL 

effects of each staofe : "Entering the first ensures freedom from 
sin, a knowledge of tlie nature of tilings, and leaves no desire ex- 
cept for Nirvana. Pleasurable feelings and reasoning and dis- 
criminating powers remain. In tlie second stage these cease, leav- 
ing satisfaction arising from intellectual perfection, which is lost 
in the third stage ; but self-consciousness remains. In the fourth 
stage this also vanishes, and Nirvana is open. The Buddha now 
enters the infinity of space, then into the infinity of intelligence, 
and thence into the region of nothing. But even here there is no 
rest. There is still something left, the idea of nothing in which 
he rejoices. That also must be destroyed, and it is destroyed in 
the fourth and last region, where there is complete rest undis- 
turbed by nothing, or what is not nothing." 

47. Precepts Eight : — These precepts are most clearly expressed 
in the Buddhist Beatitudes. "Not to serve the foolish, but to 
serve the wise, to honor those worthy of love, this is the greatest 
blessing. To dwell in a pleasant land, good works done in a for- 
mer birth, right desires in the heart, this is the greatest blessing. 
Much insight and education, self-control and pleasant speech^ 
and whatever word be well-spoken, this is the greatest blessing. 
To bestow alms and live righteously, to give help to kindred, 
deeds which cannot be blamed, this is the greatest blessing. To 
support father and mother, and to cherish wife and child ; to fol- 
low a peaceful calling, this is the greatest blessing. To abhor and 
cease from sin, abstinence from strong drink, not to be weary in 
well-doing, this is the greatest blessing. Reverence, lowliness, 
contentment and gratitude, the hearing of the Law at due seasons, 
this is the greatest blessing. Beneath the stroke of life's changes, 
the mind that shaketh not, without grief and passion. On every 
side are invincible those who do acts like these, on every side they 
walk in safety, and this is the greatest blessing." 

BOOK THE EIGHTH. 

1. At Nagara : — A town lying about eighty miles almost direct- 
ly north of Benares. 

2. Li ox-icain : — Sixteen miles is an average day's journey for an 
ox-cart. 

3. Four hundred crors : — According to all authorities a cror is 
ten millions ; this would bring the number of living Buddhists to 
forty billions, an evident mistake. The values of weights, meas- 
ures and stated quantities differs so greatly in different parts of 
India that it is possible that cror may have been used, where 
Mr. Arnold resided, to indicate a million, making his calculation of 
four hundred million living Buddhists corrrect, 

4. Lakhs : — One hundred thousand. 



NOTES. 237 

5. MlecJi : — A barbarian, not speaking Sanskrit, nor subject to 
Hindu institutions. 

6. T/ie hircls and beasts and creeping things : — In all these listen- 
ing animals were human souls in the progress of transmigration, 
awaiting the death of the animal, when possiMy they might again 
be born in human form, and tlierein find Nirvana attainable. One 
of the principal reasons the Hindus give for not killing any crea- 
ture, however dangerous or loathsome, is that possibly the soul of 
some deceased friend or relative may be in the creature's body. 

7. Om : — Tliis sacred syllable occupies a distinguished place 
among the objects of careful and special meditation. The student 
must devoutly repeat it again and again, and fix his mind in in- 
tensest degree upon its several meanings. The Mandukya Upan- 
ishad declares them to be four in number. The A in it denotes 
Brahma in the form of Vaishwanar, the human soul in its waking 
state. The U refers to him as Taijasa, in the state of dreaming. 
The M represents him as Prajna, in the state of deep sleep. The 
combined syllable Om, i.e., AUM, denotes him at once as the Su- 
preme invisible, blissful, wdthout a second. The Sutras attribute 
to the syllable three elements of meaning, and declare the eflBcacy 
of its repetition to depend upon the sense in which it is viewed by 
the devotee. "He who meditates on all three, like a serpent 
which casts its skin, ascends at once to Brahma. After sharpening 
the arrow by devotion, fix to it that great weapon, the bow found 
in the Upanishad, and after drawing it, and carefully aiming at 
thy mark, pierce him, oh beloved, w^ho is the imperishable." It is 
said that Om is the bow, the soul the arrow, and Brahma the 
mark. 

8. Amitaya : — Immeasurable. 

9. Brahm .-—See Note 17, Book the Fifth. 

10. Pray not ! the Darkness loill not brighten! Ask 
Nought from the &ilence,for it cannot speak! 
Vex not your mournful, minds icith pious pains ! 
Ah ! Brothers^ Sisters ! seek 

Nought from the helpless gods by gift and hyrnriy 

Nor bribe icith blood, nor feed with fruit and cakes; 
Within yourselves deliverance must be sought ; 
Each man his prison makes. 
These stanzas against prayer are the saddest of all Buddha's 
teachings, and that with which his followers are the least able to 
comply. All passions, all desires they may subdue, but ever and 
ever the heart seeks in prayer some light, some release. No reli- 
gionists pray so much, with so many repetitions, or by so many de- 
vices of rosaries, bells, wheels, machinery, or substitutes, as the 
Buddhists. 






r~ 



230 NOTES. 

U. Indrd ;— See Note 17, Book the Third. 

12. Dharma : — Law, the " Power divine." 

13. JSesamum : — was created on the 11th of February by Yama. 
the god of the lower regions, hence the day and plant are consid- 
ered sacred. The oil of the sesamum seeds is very largely used in 
India for religious service, cooking and lights. 

14. Mrvdna .-—See Note 49, Book the Sixth. 

15. Om .-—See Note 7, Book the Eighth. 

16. Mani : — Sage. 

17. Paclme ; — Lotus or Golden Lotus. 

18. the DeiDclrop slips 

Into the shining sea. 

This is a Brahminical, not a Buddhist, idea of Nirvana, and is a 
favorite form of expression among them. The Buddhist phrase- 
ology is, that the soul is blown out like a lamp, or as blowing out 
is applied to a fire, or to a sage." * 

19. Kar7nd: — See Note 4G, Book the Sixth. 

20. Kalpas; — See Note 04, Book the First. 

21. Birdn-weed: — Foreign weed. 

22. If any teach Nirvana is to cease. 

Say unto such they lie. 
If any teach Nirvdna is to live, 

Say unto such they err. 
If anyone hopes to arrive at a full understanding of this subiect, 
let them be well forewarned of its impossibility. Mr. Hardy states 
that there are forty-four Buddhist sects, each holding different 
views of the future. 1 — 16. Those Avho hold a future state of con- 
scious existence, and that it is either material, immaterial, a mixed 
state, or neither material or immaterial ; that it is either finite, in- 
definitely extended, a mixture of both states, or neither one nor the 
other; or that its perceptions are either simple, discursive, limit- 
ed, unlimited, happy, miserable, mixed or insensible. 17 — 24. Those 
who hold a future state of unconscious existence. 2o — 32. Those 
who hold a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. 83-— 
89. Tliosi^ who hold that death, at once, or ultimately, is annihilation. 
40 — 44. Those who reason on tlie mode in wdiich perfect liappiness 
is to be obtained. 

According to Buddha, the pure unmixed truth is not to be found 
anywhere but in his own preaching. To other teachers the truth 
may appear partially; but to him alone does it appear in unshroud- 
ed clearness and in its utmost amplitudt^. In him it is not acqui- 
sition gained by meo.ns of some mental process, nor is it a lesson 
taught by another. It is an intuitive underived power; a self-gen- 
erated effulgence. By this unerring sage it is declared that none 

* Chips from a German Workshop. 



NOTES. 239 

of the above opinions are consistent witli the truth. And yet death 
is not annihilation. We exist, and we do not eyist. We die and 
we do not die. Tliere will be a future sta.te of existence, but not 
of the individuality that now exists; and thouo:li death is the dis 
solution of that which now exists, it is not annihilation of a poten- 
tiality inherent in that existence. * 

23. Soma juice : — See Note 29, Book the Fifth. 

24. wMle he threw 

Rice, red and loMte, from hoth hands. 

It is the duty of every Hindu householder to offer certain prayers 
with food and water each morning-. Having bathed and put on 
clean clothes, he must devoutly offer libations, scattering water 
thrice for gods, also thrice for risliis, progenitors, friends and rel- 
atives and many others, accompanied by a lengthy prayer address- 
ed to all manner of gods, men, animals, plants "and all creatures." 
After this, having rinsed his mouth, he makes offerings to the sun, 
household gods, residents of earth, air, heaven and hell, to parents, 
teachers, family, kinsmen near and remote, to the cardinal points, 
atmosphere, twilight etc., etc. Then taking other rice, let the 
householder at pleasure cast it upon a clean spot of ground, as 
an offering to all beings, repeating with collected mind this prayer; 
"May gbds, men, animals, birds, saints, yakshas, serpents, demons, 
ghosts, goblins, trees, all that aesire food given by me; may ants, 
worms, moths and other insects, hungered and bound in the bends 
of acts, may all obtain satisfaction from the food left them by me, 
and enjoy happiness; may they who have neither father nor mother, 
nor relations, nor food, nor means of preparing it, be satisfied and 
pleased with the food presented for their contentment; may all 
beings that are comprehended in the fourteen orders of existent 
things be satisfied with the food bestowed by me for their gratifi- 
cation, and be delighted.'' Having uttered tins prayer, let the de- 
vout believer cast the food upon the ground for the nourishment 
of all kinds of beings, for tbe householder is thus the supporter of 
them all. Let him scatter food upon the ground for dogs, outcasts, 
birds and all fallen and degraded persons. 

25. Dasa sil : — See Note 40, Book the Sixth. 

26. Three Doors : — There are three entrances, whence proceed 
thai; which is good, and that which is evil : 1. The body. 2. The 
speech. 3. The mind. 

27. Triple Thoughts : — There are three stibjects upon which the 
mind of the ascetic ought constantly to dwell : 1. Impermanency. 
2. Sorrow. 3. Unreality. 

28. The Sixfold States of Mind .'—1. Evil desire. 2. Anger, 
8. Ignorance. 4. Purity. 5. Budhi. 6. Attention. 




240 NOTES. 

29. FiTiefold Powers : — 1. Purity. 2. Persevering action. 3. 
Ascertainment of truth. 4. Tranquillity. 6. Wisdom. 

30. Eight High Gates of Purity: — 1. Correct ideas upon religious 
subjects. 2. Correct thoughts. 3. Correct words. 4. Correct 
works. 5. Correct life. 6. Correct endeavors. 7. Correct judg- 
ment. 8. Correct tranquillity. 

31. Modes of Understanding : — 1. The meaning of any matter, 
in its separate divisions. 2. The doctrines of Buddha. 3. The 
power of the Buddhas to perceive all truth intuitively, without 
study and without the teaching of another. 4. The power of the 
ascetics to know the roots and the properties of things. 

32. Iddhi : — The power of working miracles. 

33. UpeksJm : — is freedom from all kinds of desire. 

34. Five Great Meditations : — 1. Purity. 2. Persevering action. 
3. The ascertainment of truth. 4. Tranquillity. 5. Wisdom. 

35. Amrit : — The food of the gods that gives immortality. Tlie 
lower people sometimes drink the water in which eminent Brah- 
mins have bathed their feet, calling it amrit. 

36. Jhdnas : Wisdom. 

37. The Three Gliief Refuges ;— 1. The benefits of the world of 
men. 2. The enjoyment of the dewa and brahma-lokas. 3. Nir- 
vana. 

38. Strainer : — A thin piece of cloth for straining water before 
it is drank. Some sects in India, particularly the Tains, still use 
a strainer, lest unknowingly they should swallow some insect, and 
thus take life. The mysteries revealed to them by the microscope 
amaze and perplex them greatly. 

39. Bangha : — Society or community. 
I 40. Tathdgato : — Teacher. 

I 41. Om mard padme hum : — is generally translated " Glory 

} to the Lotus bearer. Hum." Hum is not here ussd with its origi- 

1 nal Sanskrit meaning, but has come to be used in the sense of 

i praise. Among some of the Buddhists, the ascription is under- 

l stood as *' Om praise to the Golden Lotus Saint.'* 



THE END. 



—- 



THE INDIAN 



so:^G OF so:Nas 



BY 

EDWIN ARNOLD, C. S. I. 

AUTHOR OF 

" TJw Light of Asia;' '' PearU of the Faith;' ett. 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 



PREFACE. 



BeatTTifitl flowers please, whatever their name and 
country ; and so far as any brightness or fragrance may 
have been preserved from the Aryan original in this 
paraphrase, it will no doubt be recognized by the reader 
of intelligence. Tet being so exotic, the poem demands 
a word or two of introduction. 

The "Gtta Govinda," then, or "Song of Govind," is 
a Sanskrit idyl, or little pastoral drama, in which — 
under the form of Krishna, an incarnation of the 
god Vishnoo — the human soul is displayed in its re- 
lations alternately with earthly and celestial beauty. 
Krishna — at once human and divine — is first seen at- 
tracted by the pleasures of the senses (personiJQed by 
the shepherdesses in the wood), and wasting his affec- 
tions upon the delights of their illusory world. Radha, 
the spirit of intellectual and moral beauty, comes to free 
him from this error by enkindling in his heart a desire 
for her own surpassing loveliness of form and character; 
and under the parable of a human passion — too glow- 
ingly depicted by the Indian poet for exact transcription 
— the gradual emancipation of Krishna from sensuous 
distractions, and his union with Radha in a high and 
spiritualized happiness, are portrayed. This general in- 
terpretation, at any rate, though disputed by certain au- 



4 TEE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

thorities, is maintained by Jones, Lassen, and others; 
and has been followed, not without occasional diffi- 
culty, in the subjoined version. 

Lassen thus writes in his Latin prolegomena: **To 
speak my opinion in one word, Krishna is here the 
divinely-given soul manifested in humanity. . . . The 
recollection of this celestial origin abides deep in the 
mind, and even when it seems to slumber — drugged as 
it were by the fair shows of the world, the pleasures of 
visible things, and the intoxication of the senses — it now 
and again awakes, . . . full of yearning to recover the 
sweet serenity of its pristine condition. Then the soul be- 
gins to discriminate and to perceive that the love, which 
was its inmost principle, has been lavished on empty 
and futile objects ; it grows a-wearied of things sensual, 
false, and unenduring; it longs to fix its affection on 
that which shall be stable, and the source of true and 
eternal delight. Krishna — to use the imagery of this 
poem — thrones Radha in his heart, as the sole and only 
one who can really satisfy his aspirations. . . . 

"Radha is supreme in beauty, with a loveliness which 
is at once celestial, and yet enshrined in earthly mould. 
Her charms lift the mind to heavenly contemplations, 
and the God of Love, Kama, borrows his best weapons 
from them. She is forgiving and pitiful even towards 
her erring and lingering lover; she would meet him in 
returning if she could ; she grieves more than she blames ; 
and once reconciled, is beyond measure tender. . . . The 
remedy for the illusions of sense — sansdra — is placed by 
all Hindoo philosophers in the understanding of true 
existence, and Radha, in my judgment, represents this 
remedy — being the personified contemplation of the 
divine beauty and goodness. . . . Such contemplation 
flies from and disowns the mind possessed by sensual 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 6 

objects, but goes to meet and gladly inhabit that which 
consecrates itself, as Krishna's does, to the higher love. 
... It bewails its separation from the soul, as that 
which was its natural dwelling-place before the change- 
ful shows of mortal life banished it ; and this is the mys- 
tery of mutual attraction between the mind and mental 
beauty, that the memory of the divine happiness does 
not die, but is revived by the recognition of truth, and 
returns to the perception of what things in love are 
worthless, and what are real and worthy. The affec- 
tion of Radha is jealous, and grants not the full sight 
of her charms, until the soul of its own accord abandons 
its preoccupations, and becomes filled with the desire of 
the true love. But upon the soul thus returning she 
lavishes her utmost tenderness; whereof to be the re- 
cipient is to have all wishes fulfilled and nothing lack- 
ing — to be tnpta — ' well-contented.' Such, in my opin- 
ion, is the recondite significance of this poem, hidden 
under imagery but too luxuriant. The Indian poet 
seems, indeed, to have spent rather more labor in de- 
picting the phases of earthly passion than of that intel- 
lectual yearning by which the mind is lifted to the con- 
templation of divine things ; . . . but the fable of the 
loves of Govinda and Radha existing from antiquity, 
and being universally accepted, philosophy had to affix 
its doctrines to the story in such a way as that the vul- 
gar amours of those popular deities might present them- 
selves in a nobler aspect. " 

Nothing in the way of exposition needs to be added 
to these words. 

The great variety of measure in the original has been 
indicated by frequently varying the metre of this para- 
phrase, without meanwhile attempting to imitate the 
many very fanciful alliterations, assonances, and recur- 



6 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

ring choruses; of which last, however, two examples 
have been iutroduced. The " Gita Govinda," with these 
refrains and the musical accompaniments named and 
prescribed by the directions embodied in the text, must 
have been a species of Oriental opera. This raises tlie 
difficult and little-studied subject of ancient Hindoo 
music, upon which a passing word or two may not ap- 
pear impertinent. Sir William Jones says, " When I 
first read the songs of Jayadeva, who has prefixed to 
each the name of the mode in which it was to be sung, 
I had hopes of procuring the original music; but the 
Pundits of the South referred me to those of the West, 
and the Brahmans of the West would have sent me to 
those of the Korth, while they of Nepal and Cashmere 
declared that they had no ancient music, but imagined 
that the notes of the ' Gita Govinda ' must exist, if any- 
where, where the poet was born " (Sir W. Jones, vol. i. 
p. 440). 

ISTow the reason why this illustrious scholar could not 
find the score of the " Gita," was that music was always 
taught orally by the Hindoos, and therefore did not pass 
down from the old minstrels in any noted form. Yet 
there existed an elaborate science of melody among the 
ancient Indians; although, like the. Greeks, they under- 
stood little or nothing of harmony. The distinguishing 
feature of Hindoo airs was, and still is, an extremely 
fine gradation of notes; the semitone could be accurately 
divided into demi-semitoues by the ear and voice of a 
practised "Guudharb" or " Goonee." This even now 
imparts a delicacy to the otherwise monotonous temple- 
singing, which all musicians would recognize; and they 
might find in such treatises as the "Sungeet Durpun," 
"Eagavibodha," and " RSg-mala," or " Chaplet of Mel- 
odies," complete and curious explanations of the Hindoo 



■P^teVQ^IPIIBM 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 7 

orchestra. In that fantastic system the old Aryan com- 
posers established six ragas, or divine fundamental airs, 
having each five wives or raginees, and each of these 
producing eight melodious children; so that the ortho- 
dox repertory contained two hundred and forty separate 
songs. These songs had their fixed occasion, subject, 
and season; all to be reverently observed; otherwise the 
deity presiding over each was not thought likely to at- 
tend and give perfect effect to the music. These lyric 
divinities are personified and described in such works 
as the "Ratnamala:" thus "Gurjjarl" — a melody fre- 
quently indicated here by Jayadeva — is represented as 
a feminine minstrel of engaging mien, dressed in yellow 
bodice and red saree, richly bedecked with jewels and 
enthroned in a golden swing, as the third wife of the 
Baga MegJi. Musical science was divided into seven 
hrancYiQS—SurudTiyaya or sol-fa-ing, rag or melody, tal 
or time, nrit or rhythmical dancing, aurth or poetry, 
Ihav or expression, and Tiust, answering to method, 
" touch." The gamut contained seven notes singularly 
named — Su was suruj, the scream of the peacock; ri 
was rikhiib, the cry of the parrot; gu was gundhur, the 
bleat of the sheep; mu was muddhun, the call of the 
crane; pu stood for puncJmm, and the note of the Koil; 
dhti for dhymt, the neigh of the horse; and ni for ni- 
TcJiad, the trumpeting of the elephant. Endless subtle- 
ties characterized their musical terms — thus tal or 
"time," is a word made up of the first letters from 
tand, the dance of Mahadeo, and las, the dance of Par- 
vati, his consort; but these are mere etymological nice- 
ties, characteristic of the hard language in which one 
single word may be written in a hundred and eight 
ways. Enough has been said to show, from sources 
which are perhaps somewhat out of general reach, that 



8 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

a special accompaniment of music was prescribed for 
the "Gita Govinda" when composed, which, could it 
be recovered, would add immensely to the interest of 
the Sanskrit Canticle; and indeed, even at present, any 
competent inquirer into the existing melodies of India, 
popular and sacred, might be rewarded by many ex- 
quisite airs worth the ear of European maestri them- 
selves. The Indians of to-day have still their dhoorpuds^ 
or heroic ballads; their kheals, ghuzuls, and rekhtahs, 
love-songs of Mogul derivation ; their dadras and nuktas, 
serenades of Hindoo origin; the tuppah, hummed by 
Hindi and Punjabi camel-drivers; the terana, or "song 
without words;" ihQpalna, or cradle-song; the sohla, or 
marriage-strain; the stooti, or eulogistic chants; and the 
zikri, which are hymns of morality. Probably among 
these some echoes of the antique melodies of Jayadeva 
may be preserved ; at any rate, such a list — and it might 
be largely extended — shows that Indian music well mer- 
its professional study. 

Jayadeva, a native of Kinduvilva or Kendoli, in 
Burdwan or Tirhoot (for the locality is doubtful), 
wrote, according to Lassen, about 1150 a.d. The 
theme of the Indian poet's musical mystery-play is 
found in the tenth section of the BhSgavata, but Hin- 
doo literature and daily talk are full of this half-divine, 
half -human Krishna; and in turning into a religious 
canticle the loves of "Govinda" and Radha, Jayadeva 
might be sure that every native audience, present and 
to come, would understand his matter. The " Glta " ia 
to this hour very popular in India; but more so, doubt- 
less, because of its melodious versification and its ardent 
love-pictures than the profound and earnest meanings, 
for the sake of which this imperfect attempt has been 
hazarded. Extremely imperfect it is, and for exact 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 9 

Sanskrit scholars (amoog whose honorable number the 
Author has veiy slender claims to rank) of no account 
at all ; yet something, however slight, may perhaps be 
done towards the closer acquaintance of England and 
India — an object always dear to the present writer — by 
this his second effort to popularize Indian classics. 
With the aid of Lassen (to whose labors and erudite 
guidance every grateful acknowledgment is here due) 
this "Song of Songs"' goes, for the most part, fairly 
pace for pace with the Sanskrit text; although much 
has had to be modified, and the last Sarga omitted, in 
order to comply with the canons of Western propriety. 
An English dress cannot — alas! — fail to destroy some- 
thing of the Asiatic grace of Radha; but in her own she 
is radiant, fascinating, and angelic, and seemed to teach 
a lesson so well worth repeating, that this imitation of 
Jayadeva has been ventured upon. 



10 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 



INTRODUCTION. 



OM! 

REVERENCE TO GANESHAI 

" The sky is clouded ; and the wood resembles 

The sky, thick-arched with black Tamala boughs; 
O Radha, Radha! take this soul that trembles 

In life's deep midnight, to Thy golden house." 
So Nanda spoke, — and, led by Radha's spirit, 

The feet of Krishna found the road aright; 
Wherefore in bliss which all high hearts inherit 

Together taste they Love's divine delight. 

He who wrote these tilings for thee. 
Of the Son of Wassoodee, 
Was the poet Jayadeva; 
Him Saraswati gave ever 
Fancies fair his mind to throng. 
Like pictures palace-walls along; 
Ever to his notes of love 
LakshmVs mystic dancers move. 
If thy spirit seeks to bi'ood 
On Hari glorious, Hari good; 
If it feeds on solemn numbers 
Dim as dreams and soft as slumbers. 
Lend thine ear to Jayadev, 
Lord of all the spells that save 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 11 

UmapatidJiara's strain 
Glows like roses after rain; 
Sharan's stream-like song is grand, 
If its tide ye understand; 
Bard more wise beneath the sun 
Is notfoiind than Govardhun; 
D/ioyi holds the listener still 
With his shlokes of subtle skill; 
But for sweet words suited well 
Jayadeva doth excel. 

{What follows is to the Music Malaya and the Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

HYMN TO VISHNU. 

O THOU that held'st the blessed Yeda dry 
When all things else beneath the floods were hurled; 

Strong Fish-God! Ark of Men! Jai! Kan, jaif 
Hail, Keshav, hail! thou Master of the world 1 

The round world rested on thy spacious nape; 

Upon thy neck, like a mere mole, it stood: 
O thou that took'st for us the Tortoise-shape, 

Hail, Keshav, hail! Ruler of wave and woodl- 

The world upon thy curving tusk sate sure. 
Like the Moon's dark disc in her crescent pale; 

O thou who did'st for us assume the Boar, 
Immortal Conqueror! hail, Keshav, hail I 

When thou thy Giant-Foe didst seize and rend. 
Fierce, fearful, long, and sharp were fang and nail; 

Thou who the Lion and the Man didst blend, 
Lord of the Universe! hail, Narsingh, haill 



13 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Wonderful Dwarf! — wlio with a threefold stride 
Cheated King Bali — where thy footsteps fall 

Men's sins, O Wamuna! are set aside. 
O Keshav, hail! thou Help and Hope of all I 

The sins of this sad earth thou didst assoil, 
The anguish of its creatures thou didst heal; 

Freed are we from all terrors by thy toil : 
Hail, Purshuram, hail! Lord of the biting steel! 

To thee the fell Ten-Headed yielded life, 
Thou in dread battle laid'st the monster low I 

Ah, Rama! dear to Gods and men that strife; 
We praise thee, Master of the matchless bowl 

With clouds for garments glorious thou dost fare. 
Veiling thy dazzling majesty and might, 

As when Yamuna saw thee with the share, 
A peasant— yet the King of Day and Night. 

Merciful-hearted ! when thou camest as Boodh — 
Albeit 'twas written in the Scriptures so — 

Thou bad'st our altars be no more imbrued 
With blood of victims: Keshav 1 bending low 

We praise thee, Wielder of the sweeping sword, 
Brilliant as curving comets in the gloom, 

Whose edge shall smite the fierce barbarian horde; 
Hail to thee. Keshav ! hail, and hear, and come, 

And fill this song of Jayadev with thee, 
And make it wise to teach, strong to redeem, 

And sweet to living souls. Thou Mystery! 
Thou Light of Life! Thou Dawn beyond the dream! 

Fish ! that didst outswim the flood ; 
Tortoise! whereon earth hath stood; 



-} 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 13 

Boar 1 who with thy tush held'st high 

The world, that mortals might not die; 

Lion ! who hast giants torn ; 

Dwarf! who laugh'dst a liing to scorn; 

Sole Subduer of the Dreaded I 

Slayer of the many -headed ! 

Mighty Ploughman 1 Teacher tender 1 

Of thine own the sure Defender I 

Under all thy ten disguises 

Endless praise to thee arises. 

(WTiat follows is to the Music GuRjJAKi and the Mode 

NiHSARA.) 

Endless praise arises, 
O thou God that licst 
Rapt, on Kumla's breast, 
Happiest, holiest, highest 1 
Planets are thy jewels. 
Stars thy forehead-gems, 
Set like sapphires gleaming 
In kingliest anadems; 
Even the great gold Sun-God, 
Blazing through the sky, 
Serves thee but for crest-stone, 
Jai, jai ! Hari, jai ! 
As that Lord of day 
After night brings morrow. 
Thou dost charm away 
Life's long dream of sorrow. 
As on Mansa's water 
Brood the swans at rest. 
So thy laws sit stately 
On a holy breast. 



14 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

O, Drinker of tlie poison 1 

Ah, high Delight of earth ! 

What light is to the lotus-buds, 

What singing is to mirth, 

Art thou — art thou that slayedst 

Madhou and Narak grim ; 

That ridest on the King of Birds, 

Making all glories dim. 

With eyes like open lotus-flowers. 

Bright in the morning rain. 

Freeing by one swift piteous glance 

The spirit from Life's pain : 

Of all the three Worlds Treasure I 

Of sin the Putter-by! 

Of the Ten-Headed Victor! 

Jai Hari ! Har i ! ja i ! 

Thou Shaker of the Mountain! 

Thou Shadow of the Storm! 

Thou Cloud that unto Laksluni's face 

Comes welcome, white, and warm! 

O thou, — who to great Lakshmi 

Art like the silvery beam 

Which moon-sick chakors feed upon 

By Jumna's silent stream, — 

To thee this hymn ascendeth, 

That Jayadev doth sing, 

Of worship, love, and mystery; 

High Lord and heavenly King! 

And unto whoso hears it 

Do thou a blessing bring — 

Whose neck is gilt with yellow dust 

From lilies that did cling 

Beneath the breasts of Lakshmi, 

A girdle soft and sweet. 



^■■M! F*^ 



THE IXDIAJV SONG OF SONGS. 15 

When in divine embracing 
The 4ips of Gods did meet ; 
And the beating heart above 
Of thee — Dread Lord of Heaven! — 
She left that stamp of love — 
By such deep sign be given 
Prays Jayadev, the glory 
And the secret and the spells 
"Which close-hid in this story 
Unto wise ears he tells. 

End of Introduction. 



8ARGA TEE FIRST. 



SAMODADAMODARO. 

THE SPORTS OF KRISHNA. 

Beautiful Radha, jasmine-bosomed Rndha, 
All in the Spring-tioie waited by the wood 
For Krishna fair, Krishna the all-forgetful, — 
Krishna with earthly love's false fire consuming — 
And some one of her maidens sang this souir: — 

{What follows is to the Music Vas.vnta and the Mode 
Yati.) 

I know where Krishna tarries in these early days of 

Spring, 
When every wind from warm Malay brings fragrance 

on its wing; 



sjm fmoi 



16 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Brings fragrance stolen far away from thickets of the 

clove, 
In jungles where the bees hum and the Koil flutes her 

love; 
He dances with the dancers, of a merry morrice cue, 
All in the budding Spring-time, for 'tis sad to be alone. 

I know how Krishna passes these hours of blue and 

gold, 
When parted lovers sigh to meet and greet and closely 

hold 
Hand fast in band; and every branch upon the Vakul- 

tree 
Droops downward with a hundred blooms, in every 

bloom a bee; 
He is dancing wiih Llie dancers to a laughter-moving 

tone. 
In the soft awakening Spring-time, when 'tis hard to 

live alone. 

Where Kroona flowers, that open-^^at a lover's lightest 

tread, 
Break, and, for shame at what they hear, from wdiito 

blush modest red ; * 

And all the spears on all the boughs of all the Ketuk- 

glades 
Seem ready darts to pierce the hearts of wandering 

youths and maids; 
'Tis there thy Krishna dances till the merry drum is 

done, 
All in the sunny Spring-time, when who can live alone? 

Where the breaking-forth of blossom on the yellow 

Keshra-sprays 
Dazzles like Kama's sceptre, whom all the world obeys; 



» ■nai 




THE mniAJsr soug of so^^G^, 17 

And Patal-buds fill drowsy bees from pink delicious 

bowls, 
As Kama's nectared goblet steeps in languor human 

souls; 
There he dances with the dancers, and of Eadha thmk- 

eWi none, 
All in the warm uew^ Spring-tide, when none will live 

alone. 

Where the breath of waving Madhvi pours incense 

thi-ough the grove, 
And silken Mogras lull the sense with essences of 

love, — 
The silken-soft pale Mogra, whose perfume fine and 

faint 
Can melt the coldness of a maid, the sternness of a 

saint — - 
There dances with those dancers thine other self, thine 

Own, 
All in the languorous Spring-time, 'v\'hen none will live 

alone. 

Where — as if warm lips touched scaled eyes and waked 

them— all the bloom 
Opens upon the mangoes to feel the sunshine come; 
And Atimuktas wind their arms of softest green about, 
Clasping the stems, while calm and clear great Jumna 

spreadeth out; 
There dances and there laughs thy Love, with damsels 

many and one, 
In the rosy days of Spring-time, for he will not live 

alone. 

Mark ihis song of Jayadev ! 
Deep as pearl in ocean-wave 



18 THE ELZEVIR LIBBARY. 

Lurketh in Us lines a wonder 
WhicJi the wise alone will ponder : 
Tlwiigh it scemeth of the earth, 
Heavenly is the music's birth ; 
Telling darkly of delights 
Jn the wood, oficasted nights, 
Of witless days, and fruitless love," 
And false pleasures of the grove, 
And rash passions of the prime, 
And those dances of Spring-time ; 
Time, which seems so subtle-sweet, 
Time, which pipes to dancing feet. 
Ah ! so softly — ah ! so sweetly — 
That among those wood-maids featly 
Krishna cannot choose hut dance. 
Letting pass life's greater chance. 

Yet tlic winds that sigh so 

As they stir the rose, 
Wake a sigh from Krishna 

WistfuUer than those; 
All their faint breaths swinging 

Tlie creepers to and fro 
Pass lilie rustling arrows 

Shot from Kama's bow: 
Tims among the dancers 

What ilvose zephyrs bring 
Strikes to Krishna's spirit 

Like a darted sting. 

And all as if — far wandered — 
The traveller should hear 

The bird of home, the Ko'il, 
With nest-notes ricli and clear; 



TUE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 19 

And there should come one moment 

A blessed fleeting dream 
Of the bees among the mangoes 

Beside his native stream; 
So flash those sudden 5''earuings, 

That sense of a dearer thing. 
The love and lack of Radha 

Upon his soul in Spring, 

Then she, the maid of Radha, spake again ; 
And pointing far away between the leaves 
Guided her lovely Mistress where to look. 
And note how Krishna wantoned in the wood 
Now with this one, now that; his heart, her prize, 
Panting with foolish passions, and his eyes 
Beaming with too much love for those fair girls- 
Fair, but not so as Radha; and she sang 

{What follows is to tJie 3Iusic Ramagiki -aTi^ tlie Mode 

Yati.) 

See, Lady! how thy Krishna passes these idle hours 
Decked forth in fold of woven gold, and crowned with 

forest-flowers; 
And scented with the sandal, and gay with gems of 

price — 
Rubies to mate his laughing lips, and diamonds like his 

eyes; — 
In the company of damsels,* who dance and sing and 

play, 

Lies Krishna laughing, toying, dreaming his Spring 
away. 



* It will be observed that the "Gopis" here personify the five 
senses. Lassen says, " Manifestum est puellis istis nil aliud 
significari quain res sensiles.''' 



20 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

One, "with star-blossomed cbampS,k wreathed, woosliim 

to rest bis bead 
On tbe dark pillow of ber breast so tenderly outspread; 
And o'er bis brow with roses blown sbe fans a fragrance 

rare. 
That falls on the encbanted sense like rain in tbirsty 

air, 
Wbile tbe company of damsels wave many an odorous 

spray, 
And Krishna laughing, toying, sighs tbe soft Spring 

away. 

Another, gazing in bis face, sits wistfully apart, 
Searching it with those looks of love that leap from heart 

to heart; 
Her eyes— afire with shy desire, veiled by their lashes 

black — 
Speak so that Krishna cannot choose but send the mes- 
sage back. 
In the company of damsels whose bright eyes in a ring 
Shine round bim with soft meanings in tbe merry light 
of Spring. 

Tbe third one of that dazzling band of dwellers in the 

wood — 
Body and bosom panting with tbe pulse of youthful 

blood — 
Leans over bim, as in bis ear a lightsome thing to 

speak, 
And then with leaf-soft lip imprints a kiss below bis 

cheek ; 
A kiss that thrills, and Krishna turns at tbe silken touch 
To give it back — ah, Radha! forgetting thee too much. 



THE INDIAN 80NO OF SONQS. 21 

And one with arch smile beckons him away from Jumna's 
banks, 

Where the tall bamboos bristle like Bpears in battle- 
ranks, 

And plucks his cloth to make liim come into the mango. 
shade, 

Where the fruit is ripe and golden, and the milk and 
cakes are laid : 

Oh! golden-red the mangoes, and glad the feasts of 
Spring, 

And fair the flowers to lie upon, and sweet the dancers 
sing. 

Sweetest of all that Temptress who dances for him now 
With subtle feet which part and meet in the R^s-meas- 

ure slow, 
To the chime of silver bangles and the beat of rose-leaf 

hands, 
And pipe and lute and cymbal played by the woodland 

bands; 
So that wholly passion-laden — eye, ear, sense, soul o'er- 

come — 
Krishna is theirs in the forest; his heart forgets its home- 

Krishna, made for heavenly things, 

'Mid tliose woodland singers sings; 

With those dancers dances featly, 

Gives back soft embraces sweetly; 
Smiles on that one, toys with this, 

Glance for glance and kiss for kiss; 
Meets the merry damsels fairly. 
Plays the round of folly rarely. 
Lapped in milk-warm spring-time weather, 
He and those brown girls together. 



■~r-- 



23 TIIIJ] ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

And this shadowed earthly love 

1)1 tJie twilight of the grove, 

Dance and song and soft caresses, 

Meeting looks and tangled tresses, 

Jayadev the same hath wnt, 

That ye might have gain of it. 

Sagely its deep sense conceiving 

And its inner light beliemng; 

How that Love — the mighty Master, 

Lord of all the stars that cluster 

In the sky, swiftest and sloicest, 

Lord of highest, Lord of lowest — 

Manifests himself to mortals, 

Winning them toicard the 2^ortals 

Of his secret House, the gates 

Of that bright Paradise ithich ivaits 

The wise in love. Ah, human creatures ! 

Even your phantasies are teachers. 

Mighty Love makes sweet in seeming 

Even Krishna's woodland dreaming; 

Mighty I^ove sways all alike 

From self to selflessness. Oh ! strike 

From your eyes the veil, and see 

What Love willeth him io be 

Who in error, but in grace, 

Sitteth with that lotusface. 

And tliose eyes whose rays of heaven 

Unto phantom-eyes are given; 

Holding feasts of foolish mirth 

Yiith these Visions of the earth; 

Learning love, and love imparting; 

Tci with sense of loss upstarting: — 

For the cloud that veils the fountains 

Underneath the Sandal mountains. 



mt n 



« ' ! » ■ m «aa— ^M 



THE INDIAIs^ S02{G OF SONGS. 23 

Hou) — as if the sunshine drew 
All its being to the blue — 
It takes flight, and seeks to rise 
High into tlie jmrer skies, 
High into the snoio and frost, 
On the shining summits lost ! 
Ah ! and how the KoW strain 
Smites the traveller with pain, — 
When the mango blooms in spnng, 
And '' KooJwo," '' Koolioo,'' they sing- 
Pain of pleasures not yet won. 
Pain of journeys not yet done. 
Pain of toiling icithout gaining, 
Pain, 'mid gladness, of still paining. 

But may He guide us all to glory high 
Who laughed when Eadha glided, hidden, hj, 
And all among those damsels free and bold 
Touched Krishna with a soft mouth, kind and cold; 
And like the others, leaning on his breast. 
Unlike the others, left there Love's unrest; 
And like the others, joining in his song, 
Unlike the others, made him silent long 

{Here ends that Sarga of the GUa Govinda entitled 
Samodadamodaro.) 



34 TEE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 



SAROA TEE SECOND. 



KLESIIAKESHAVO. 
THE PENITENCE OF KRISHNA. 

Thus lingered Krishna in the deep, green wood, 
And gave himself, too prodigal, to those; 
But Radha, heart-sick at his falling-off, 
Seeing her heavenly beauty slighted so, 
Withdrew; and, in a bower of Paradise — 
Where nectarous blossoms wove a shrine of shade, 
Haunted by birds and bees of unknown skies — 
She sate deep-sorrowful, and sang this strain, 

{What follows is to tlie music Gurjjar! ajid tlie Mode 

Yati.) 

Ah, my Beloved! taken with those glances, 
Ah, my Beloved! dancing those rash dances, 
Ah, Minstrel! playing wrongful strains so well; 

Ah, Krishna! Krishna, with the honeyed lip! 

Ah, Wanderer into foolish fellowship! 
My Dancer, my Delight! — I love thee still. 

O Dancer! strip thy peacock- crown away. 
Rise! thou whose forehead is the star of day, 

With beauty for its silver halo set; 
Come! thou whose greatness gleams beneath its shroud 
Like Indra's rainbow shining through the cloud — 

Come, for I love thee, my Beloved 1 yet. 




THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 25 

Must love thee — cannot choose but love thee ever, 
My best Beloved—set on this endeavor, 

To win thy tender heart and earnest eye 
From lips but sadly sweet, from restless bosoms, 
To mine, O Krishna with the mouth of blossoms! 

To mine, thou soul of Krishna! yet I sigh 

Half hopeless, thinking of myself forsaken, 
And thee, dear Loiterer, in the wood overtaken 

With passion for those bold and wanton ones, 
Who knit thine arms as poison-plants gripe trees 
With twining cords — their flowers the braveries 

That flash in the green gloom, sparkling gauds and 
stones. 

My Prince! my Lotus-faced! my woe! my love! 
Whose broad brow, with the tilka-spot above, 

Shames the bright moon at full with fleck of cloud; 
Thou to mistake so little for so much ! 
Thou, Krishna, to be palm to palm with such! 

O Soul made for my joys, pure, perfect, proud! 

Ah, my Beloved! in thy darkness dear; 
Ah, Dancer! with the jewels in thine ear, 
Swinging to music of a loveless love; 

my Beloved! in thy fall so high 
That angels, sages, spirits of the sky 

Linger about thee, watching in the grove. 

1 will be patient still, and draw thee ever, 
My one Beloved, sitting by the river 

Under the thick Kadambas with that throng: 
Will there not come an end to earthly madness? 
Shall I not, past the sorrow, have the gladness? 

Must not the love-light shine for him ere long? 



UMB^ WKM 




26 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Shine, thou Light hy Radlia given. 
Shine, thou splendid star of heaven / 
Be a lamp to Krishna' s feet. 
Show to all hearts secrets sweet. 
Of the wonder and the love 
Jayadev hath writ above. 
Be the quick Interpreter 
Unto wisest ears of her 
Who always sings to all, " I wait, 
He loveth still who loveth late." 

For (sang on that high Lady in the shade) 
My soul for tenderness, not blame, was made; 

Mine eyes look through his evil to his good; 
My heart coins pleas for him; my fervent thought 
Prevents what he will say when these are naught. 

And that which I am shall be understood. 

Then spake she to her maiden wistfully — 

( WJiat follmcs is to the Music Malayagauda and the Mot 
EkatalI) 

Go to liim, — win him hither, — whisper low 
How he may find me if he searches well ; 

Say, if he will — joys past his hope to know 
Await him here; go now to him, and tell 

Where Radha is, and that henceforth she charms 
His spirit to her arms. 

Yes, go! say, if he will, that he may come — 
May come, my love, my longing, my desire; 

May come forgiven, shriven, to me his home. 
And make his happy peace; nay, and aspire 

To uplift Radha's veil, and learn at length 

What love is in its strength. 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 27 

Lead him; say softly I shall chide bis bliadness, 
And vex him with my angers; yet add this, 

He shall not vainly sue for loving- kindness, 
Nor miss to see me close, nor lose the bliss 

That lives upon my lip, nor be denied 

The rose-throne at my side. 

Say that I — Radba — in my bower languish 
All widowed, till he find the way to me; 

Say that mine eyes are dim, my breast all anguish, 
Until with gentle murmured shame I see 

His steps come near, his anxious pleading face 

Bend for my pardoning grace. 

While I — what, did he deem light love so tender, 
To tarry for them v/hen the vow was made 

To yield him up my bosom's maiden splendor, 
And fold him in my fragrance, and unbraid 

My shining hair for him, and clasp him close 

To the gold heart of Ins Rose, 

And sing him strains which only spirits know. 
And make him captive with the silk-soft chain 

Of twinned- wings brooding round him, and bestow 
Kisses of Paradise, as pure as rain; 

My gems, my moonlight-pearls, my girdle-gold. 
Cymbaling music bold? 

While gained for ever, I shall dare to grow 
Life to life with him, in the realms divine; 

And — Love's lai-ge cup at happy overflow, 
Yet ever to be filled — his eyes and mine 

Shall meet in that glad look, when Tim.e's great gate 
Closes and shuts out Fate. 



28 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Listen to the unsaid things 
. Of the song which Radha sings, 
For the soul draws near to bliss. 
As it comprehendeth this. 
I am Jayadev, who lorite 
All this subtle-rich delight 
For your teaching. Ponder, then, 
What it tells to Gods and men. 
Err not, watching Krishna gay, 
With those brown girls all at play; 
Understand hoio Radha charms 
Her wandering lover to her arms, 
Waiting loith divinest love 
Till his dream ends in the grove. 

For even now (slie sang) I see him pause, 

Heart-stricken with the waste of heart he makes 

Amid them; — all the bows of their bent brows 
Wound him no more: no more for all their sakes 

Plays he one note upon his amorous lute, 

But lets the strings lie mute. 

PeDsive, as if his parted lips should say — 

" My feet with the danees are weary, 

The music has dropped from the song, 
There is no more delight in the lute-strings, 

Sweet Shadows! what thing has gone wrong? 
The wings of the wind have left fanning 

The palms of the glade; 
They are dead, and the blossoms seem dying 

In the place where we played. 

" We will play no more, beautiful Shadowsl 
A fancy came solemn and sad. 



fiStiSivAzitiLTsi^iPsaati 



TEE INDIAJSf SONG OF SONGS. 29 

More sweet, with unspeakable longings, 
Than the best of the pleasures we had: 

I am not now the Krishna who kissed you; 
That exquisite dream, — 

The Vision I saw in my dancing — 
Has spoiled what you seem. 

'Ah! delicate phantoms that cheated 

With eyes that looked lasting and true, 
I awake, — I have seen her, — my angel — 

Farewell to the wood and to you ! 
Oh, whisper of wonderful pity ! 

Oh, fair face that shone! 
Though thou be a vision, Divinest! 

This vision is done." 

{Here ends that Barga of the Gita Govinda entitled Klesh- 

AKESHAVO.) 



SARGA THE THIRD. 



MUGDHAMADHUSUDAKO. 
KRISHNA TROUBLED. 

Thereat,— as one who welcomes to her throne 
A new-made Queen, and brings before it bound 
Her enemies,— so Krishna in his heart 
Throned Radha; and— all treasonous follies chained 
He played no more with those first play-fellows: 
But, searching through the shadows of the grove 
For loveliest Radha,— Vv'heu he found her not 



30 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY, 

Faint with the quest, despairing, lonely, lorn. 
And pierced with shame for wasted love and da3-s, 
He sate by Jumna, where the canes are thick, 
And sang to the wood-eciioes words like these: 

( What follows is to the Music Guejjari and tlie Modi 

Yati.) 

Radha, Enchantress ! Radlia, queen of all ! 

Gone — lost, because she found me sinni-ng here; 
And I so stricken with my foolish fall, 

I could not stay her out of shame and fear; 
Slie will not hear-. 
In her disdain and grief vainly I call. 

And if she heard, what would she do? what say ? 

How could I make it good that I forgot? 
What profit was it to me, night and day, 

To live, love, dance, and dream, having her not? 
Soul without spot ! 
I wronged thy patience, till it sighed away. 

Sadly I see the truth. Ah! even now 
Remembering that one look beside the river, 

Softer the vexed eyes seem, and the proud brow 
Than lotus-leaves when the bees make them quiver. 
My love forever! 

Too late is Krishna wise — too far art thou! 

Yet all day long in m}^ deep heart I woo thee, 
And all night long witli thee my dreams are SAveet; 

Why, then, so vainly must my steps pursue thee? 
Why can I never reach thee to entreat, 
Low at \\\y feet, 

Dear vanished Splendor! till my tears subdiie thee? 






THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 31 

Surpassing One! I knew thou didst not brook 
Half-hearted worship, and a love that wavers; 

Haho! there is the wisdom I mistook, 
Therefore I seek with desperate endeavors; 
That fault dissevers 

Me from my heaven, astray— condemned— forsookl 

And yet I seem to feel, to know, thee near me; 

Thy steps make music, measured music, near; 
Radha! my Radha! will not sorrow clear me? 

Shine once! speak one word pitiful and dear! 
Wilt thou not hear? 
Canst thou— because I did forget— forsake me? 

Forgive! the sin is sinned, is past, is over; 

No thought I think shall do thee wrong again; 
Turn thy dark ej'es again upon thy lover, 

Bright Spirit! or I perish of this pain. 
Loving again! 
In dread of doom to love, but not recover. 

So did Kruhna sing and sigh 

By the river-hank; and I, 

Jayadev of KinduTiha, 

Besting— as the moon of silver 

Sits upon the solemn ocean — 

On full faith, in deep devotion; 

Tell it that ye may perceive 

How the heart must fret and grieve; 

Bow the soul doth tire of earth, 

When the love from Eeav'n hath Mrth. 

For (sang he on) I am no foe of thine, 
There is no black snake, Kama! in my hair: 



J- 



82 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Blue lotus-leaves, and not the poisoned brine. 
Shadow my neck; what stains my bosom bare, 
Thou God unfair! 
Is sandal-dust, not ashes; nought of mine 

Makes me like Shiva that thou, Lord of Lovel 
Shouldst strain thy string at me and fit thy dart; 

This world is thine — let me one breast thereof 
Which bleeds already, wounded to the heart 
With lasting smart, 

Shot from those brows that did my sin reprove. 

Thou gavest her those black brows for a bow 
Arched like thine own, whose pointed arrows seem 

Her glances, and the underlids that go — 

So firm and fine — its string? Ah, fleeting gleam! 
Beautiful dream! 

Small need of Kama's help hast thou, I trow, 

To smite me to the soul with love; — but set 
Those arrows to their silken cord I enchain 

My thoughts in that loose hair! let thy lips, wet 
With dew of heaven as bimba-buds with rain. 
Bloom precious pain 

Of longing in my heart; and, keener yet, 

The heaving of thy lovely, angry bosom, 
Pant to my spirit things unseen, unsaid; 

But if thy touch, thy tones, if the dark blossom 
Of thy dear face, thy jasmine-odors shed 
From feet to head. 

If these be all with me, canst thou be far — be fled? 

80 sang he, and I pray fhai whoso hears 
The music of his burning hopes and fears, 



""~ 






THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 33 

That whoso sees this tision by the River 
Of Krishna, Ilari, {can we name him ever?) 
And marks his ear-ring rubies swinging slow, 
As he sits still, unheedful, bending loio 
To play this tune upon his lute, ichile all 
■ Listen to catch the sadness musical; 
And Krishna icotteth nought, but, with set face 
Turned full toward Radha's, plays on in that place; 
May all such souls — prays Jayadev — be loise 
To learn the wisdom lohich hereunder lies. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the Geta Govinda entitled 

MUGDHAMAD^I^SUDA:^^ o. ) 



SARGA THE FOURTH. 



SXIGDHAMADHUSUDAKO. 

KRISHNA CHEERED. 

Then slie whom Radha sent came to the canes — 
The caues beside the river where he lay 
"With listless limbs and spirit weak from love ; — 
And she sang this to Krishna wistfully. 

( "What follows is to the Music Kabnata and the Mode 
EkatalI) 

Art thou sick for Radha? she is sad in turn, 
Heaven foregoes its blessings, if it holds not thee; 

All the cooling fragrance of sandal she doth spurn, 
Moonlight makes her mournful with radiance silvery; 



34 TH^ ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Even the soiuliern breeze blowu fresU from pearly seas, 

Seems to her but laiuted by a dolorous briue; 
And for thy sake discontented, with a great love over- 
laden, 
Her soul comes here beside thee, and sitteth down 
with thine. 

Her soul comes here beside thee, and tenderly and true 
It weaves a subtle m.ail of proof to ward off sin and 
pain; 
A breastplate soft as lotus-leaf, with holy tears for dew, 
To guard thee from the things that hurt; and then 'tis 
gone again 
To strew a blissful place with the richest buds that grace 
Kama's sweet world, a meeting-spot with rose and jas- 
mine fair. 
For the hour when, well-contented, with a love no 

longer troubled, 
Thou shalt find the way to Radha, and finish sorrows 
there. 

But now her lovely face is shadowed by her fears; 
Her glorious eyes are veiled and dim like moonlight in 
eclipse 
By breaking rain-clouds, Krishna! yet she paints you in 
her tears 
With tender thoughts — not Krishna, but brow and 
breast and lips 
And form and mien a King, a great and god like thing; 
And then with bended head she asks grace from the 
Love Divine, 
To keep thee discontented with the phantoms thou for- 
swcarest, 
Till she may win her glory, and thou be raised to thine. 



I 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 35 

Softly now she saj'-etli, 

" Krislma, Krishna, come!" 
Lovingly she prayeth, 

" Fair moon, light him home." 
Yet if Hari helps not, 

Moonlight cannot aid ; 
Ah! the woeful Radha! 

Ah! the forest shade 1 

Ah ! if Ilari guide not. 

Moonlight is as gloom; 
Ah! if moonlight help not, 

How shall Krishna come? 
Sad for Krishna grieving 

In the darkened grove; 
Sad for Radha weaving 

Dreams of fruitless love! 

Strike soft strings to tlds soft measure. 
If thine ear would catch its treasure; 
Sloioly dance to this deep song, 
Let its meaning float along 
With grave paces, since it tells 
Of a love that sweetly dicells 
' In a tender distant glory, 
Fast all faults of mortal story. 

( What foll&iDs is to the Music Deshaga and the Mode 
EkatalI.) 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, faint she lies with love 

and fear! 
Even the jewels of her necklet seem a load too great to 

bear. 



— "jU 



36 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Krishna, till tbou come iiuto her, nil the sandal and the 

flowers 
Yex her with their pure perfection though they grow in 

heavenly bowers. 

ft 
Krishna, till thou come unto her, fair albeit those bowers 

may be, 
Pcission burns her, and love's fire fevers her for lack of 

thee. 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, those divine lids, dark 

and tender, 
Droop like lotus-leaves in rain-storms, dashed and heavy 

in their splendor. 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, that rose-couch which 

she hath spread 
Saddens with its empty place, its double pillow for one 

head. 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, from her palms she will 

not lift 
The dark face hidden deep within them like the moon in 

cloudy rift. 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, angel though- she be, 

thy Love 
Sighs and suffers, waits and watches— joyless 'mid those 

joys above. 

Krishna, till thou come unto her, with the comfort of thy 

kiss 
Deeper than thy loss, O Krishna! must be loss of Radha's 

bliss. 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 37 

Krishna, while thou didst forget her— her, tliy life, tliy 

gentle fate — 
Wonderful her waiting was, her pity sweet, her patience 

great. 

Krishna, come! 'tis grief untold to grieve her — shame to 

let her sigh; 
Come, for she is sick with love, and thou her only 

remedy. 

So she sang, and Jayadeva 

Prays for all, and prays far ever, 

TJiat Great Hari may bestow 

Utmost bliss of loving so 

On us all; — that one loho woi'e 

IJie herdsman's form, and heretofore, 

To save the shepherd's threatened fiocTc, 

Up from the earth reared the huge rock — 

BesioiD it with a gracious hand. 

Albeit, amid the icoodland band, 

Clinging close in fond caresses 

Krishna gave them ardent kisses. 

Taking on his lips divine 

Earthly stamp and woodland sign. 

(Here ends that Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 
Snigdhamadhusudaxo. 



T 



38 THE ELZEVm LIBRARY. 



SARGA TEE FIFTH 



SAKANDKSHAPUNDARIKAKSHO. 

THE LONGINGS OF KRISHNA. 

" Say I am herel oh, if slie pardons me, 
Say wliere I am, and win lier softly liither," 
So Krishna to the maid; and willingly 
She came again to Radha, and she sang 

(What follows is to Hie Music Deshivaradi and the Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

Low whispers the wind from Malaya 

Overladen with love; 
On tlie hills all the grass is burned yellow; 

And the trees in the grove 
Droop with tendrils that mock by their clinging 

The thoughts of the parted; 
And there lies, sore-sighing for thee, 

Thy love, altered-hearted. 

To him the moon's icy-chill silver 

Is a sun at midday; 
The fever he burns with is deeper 

Than starlight can stay: 
Like one who falls stricken by arrows, 

With the color departed 
From all but his red wounds, so lies 

Thy love, bleeding-hearted. 



^■^Wftftil-iUI-IJli W- IJii 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 39 

To the music the banded bees make liim 

He closeth his ear; 
lu the blossoms their small horns are blowing 

The honey-song clear; 
But as if every sting to his bosom 

Its smart had imparted, 
Low lies by the edge of the river, 

Thy love, aching-hearted. 

By the edge of the river, far wandered 

From his once beloved bowers, 
And the haunts of his beautiful playmates, 

And the beds strewn with flowers; 
Now thy name is his playmate— that only!— 

And the hard rocks upstarted 
From the sand make the couch where he lies, 

Thy Krishna, sad-hearted. 

Oh may Harifill each soul, 
As these gentle verses roll 
Telling of the anguish home 
By kindred ones asunder torn ! 
Oh may Hari unto each 
All the love of loving teach. 
All the pain and all the bliss; 
Jayadeva prayeth this I 

Yea, Lady! in the self-same spot he waits 
Where with thy kiss thou taught'st him utmost love, 
And drew him, as none else draws, with thy look; 
And all day long, and all night long, his cry 
Is "Radha, Radha," like a spell said o'er; 
And in his heart there lives no wish nor hope 
Save only this, to slake his spirit's thirst 
For Radha's love on Radha's lips; and find 
Peace in the immortal beauty of thy brow. 



40 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 



( ^VJlat follows is to the Music Guejjar! and the Mode 
Ekatal!.) 

Mistress, sweet and bright and holy! 

Meet him in that place; 
Change his cheerless melancholy 

Into joy and grace; 
If thou hast forgiven, vex not; 

If thou lovest, go; 
Watching ever by the river, 

Krishna listens low: 

Listens low, and on his reed there 

Softl}'- sounds by name, 
Making even mute things plead there 

For his hope: 'tis shame 
That, while winds are welcome to him, 

If from thee they blow, 
Mournful ever by the river 

Krishna waits thee so ! 

When a bird's wing stirs the roses, 

When a leaf falls dead, 
Twenty times he recomposes 

The flower-seat he has spread: 
Twenty times, with anxious glances 

Seeking thee in vain, 
Sighing ever by the river, 

Krishna droops again. 

Loosen from thy foot the bangle, 

Lest its golden bell, 
AVilh a tiny, tattling jangle, 

Any false tale tell; 



i 



f- 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 41 

If thou fearest that the moonlight 

Will thy glad face know, 
Draw tliose dark braids lower. Lady I 

But to Krishna go. 

Swift and still as lightning's splendor 

Let thy beauty come, 
Sudden, gracious, dazzling, tender. 

To his arms — its home: 
Swift as Indra's yellow lightning. 

Shining through the night, 
Glide to Krislma'slonely bosom, 

Take him love and light. 

Grant, at last, love's utmost measure, 

Giving, give the whole; 
Keep back nothing of the treasure 

Of thy priceless soul: 
Hold with both hands out unto him 

Thy chalice, let him drain 
The nectar of its dearest draught. 

Till not a wish remain. 

Only go — the stars are setting, 

And thy Krishna grieves; 
Doubt and anger quite forgetting. 

Hasten through the leaves: 
Wlierefore didst thou lead him heav'nward 

But for this thing's sake? 
Comfort him with pity, Radhal 

Or his heart must break. 

But while Jayadeva writes 

This rare tale of deep delights — 
Jayadev, whose heart is given 

Unto Ilari, Lord in, Ueaxen— 



42 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

See thai ye too, as ye read, 
With a. glad and humble heed, 
Bend your brows before His face. 
That ye may have bliss and grace. 

And then the Maid, compassionate, sang on — 

Lady, most sweet! 

For til}'' coming feet 
He listens in the wood, with love sore-tried; 

Faintly sighing, 

Lilie one a-dying, 
He sends his thoughts afoot to meet his bride. 

Ah, silent one! 

Sunk is the sun, 
Tlie darkness falls as deep as Krishna's sorrow; 

The chakor's strain 

Is not more vain 
Than mine, and soon gray dawn will bring white 
morrow. 

And thine own bliss 

Delays by this; 
The utmost of thy heaven comes only so 

When, with hearts beating 

And passionate greeting, 
Parting is over, and the parted grow 

One — one for ever! 

And tlie old endeavor 
To be so blended is assuaged at last ; 

And tlie glad tears raining 

Have nought remaining 
Of doubt or 'plaining; and the dread has passed 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 43 

Out of each face, 

In tlie close embrace, 
That by-and-by embracing will be over; 

The ache that causes 

Those mournful pauses 
In bowers of earth between lover and lover: 

To be no more felt, 

To fade, to melt 
In the strong certainty of joys immortal; 

In the glad meeting, 

And quick sweet greeting 
Of lips that close beyond Time's shadowy portal. 

And to thee is given. 

Angel of Heaven ! 
This glory and this joy with Krishna. Gol 

Let him attain. 

For his long pain. 
The prize it promised, — see thee coming slow. 

A vision firsts but then — 

By glade and glen — 
A lovely, loving soul, true to its home; 

His Queen — his Crown — his All, 

Hast'ning at last to fall 
Upon his breast, and live there. Radha, come! 

Come! and come thou, Lord of all, 
Zfnio whom the Three Worlds call; 
Thou, that didst in angry might, 
Kansa, like a comet, smite ; 
Thou, that in thy passion tender. 
An incarnate spell and splendor. 
Hung on Radha' s glorious face — 
In the garb of Krishna's grace — 



8 



44 THE ELZE'Vm LIBBABY. 

As above the Jjloom the bee. 
When the honeyed revelry 
Is too subtle-sweet an one 
Not to hang and dally on ; 
Thou that art the Three Worlds' glory 
Of life the light, of every story 
The meaning and the mark, of love 
The root andfloicer, d the sky above 
The blue, of bliss the heart, of those, 
The lovers, that which did impose 
Ihe gentle law, that each should be 
The other s Heav'n and harmony. 
{Here ends that Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 

SAKANDKSHAPUIS'DARIK AKsno. ) 



SARGA THE SIXTH. 



DHKISHTAVAIKUNTO. 

KRISHNA MADE BOLDER. 

But seeing that, for all her loYing will, 
Tiie flower-soft feet of Radha had not power 
To leave their place and go, she sped again — 
That maiden — and to Krishna's eager ears 
Told how it fared with his sweet mistress there. 

{What follows is to the Jf?mc Gokdakiri and the Mode 

RUPAKA.) • 

Krishna! 'tis thou must come, (she sang) 
Ever she v.-aits thee in heavenly bower; 

The lotus seeks not the wandering bee, 
The bee must find the flower. 



t 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 45 

All the wood over Iier deep ej^es roam, 

Marvelliug sore where tarries the bee, 
Who leaves such lips of nectar unsought 

As those that blossom for thee. 

Her steps would fail if she tried to come, 
Would falter and fail, with yearning weak; 

At the first of the road they would falter and pause, 
And the way is strange to seek. 

Find her where she is sitting, then, 

With lotus-blossom on ankle and arm 
Wearing thine emblems, and musing of nought 

But the meeting to be— glad, warm. 

To be—" but wherefore tarrieth he?" 

" What can stay or delay him? — go! 
See if the soul of Krishna comes," 

Ten times she sayelh to me so; 

Ten times lost in a languorous swoon, 

" Now he Cometh— he cometh," she cries; 

And a love-look lights her eyes in the gloom. 
And the darkness is sweet with her sighs. 

Till, watching in vain, she sinks again 
Under the shade of the whispering leaves. 

With a heart too full of its love at last 
To heed how her bosom heaves. 

Shall not these fav" verses sicell 
The number of the tcise icJio dwell 
In the realm of Kama's bliss f 
Jayadev prayeth this, 
Jayadci\ the hard of Love, 
Servant of the Gods above. 



48 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

For all so strong in Heaven itself 

Is Love, that Radha sits drooping there. 

Her beautiful bosoms panting with thought, 
And the braids drawn back from her ear. 

And — angel albeit — her rich lips breathe 
Sighs, if sighs were ever so sweet; 

And — if spirits can tremble — she trembles now 
From forehead to jewelled feet, 

And her voice of music sinks to a sob, 
And her eyes, like eyes of a mated roe. 

Are tender with looks of yielded love, 
With dreams dreamed long ago; 

Long — ^long ago, but soon to grow truth, 
To end, and be waking and certain and true ; 

Of which dear surety murmur her lips, 
As the lips of sleepers do: 

And, dreaming, she loosens her girdle-pearls. 
And opens her arms to the empty air, 

Then starts, if a leaf of the champ^k falls, 
Sighing, " O leaf! is he there?" 

Why dost thou linger in this dull spot, 
Haunted by serpents and evil for thee? 

Why not hasten to Nanda's House? 
It is plain, if thine eyes could see. 

May these icords of high endeavoi' — 
Fall of grace and gentle favor — 
Find out those whose hearts can fed 
What the message did reveal, 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 47 

Words that Radha's messenger 

Unto Krishna took from her, 

Slowly guiding him to come 

Through the forest to Ms home. 

Guiding him to find the road 

Which led — though long — to Love's abode. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 
Dhrishtavaiku]s;to. ) 



SARGA THE SEVENTH. 



VIPRALABDHAVARNANE 
NAGAEANARAYANO. 

KRISHNA SUPPOSED FALSE. 

Meantime the moon, the rolling moon, clomb high, 
And over all Yriud5,vaua it shone; 
The moon which on the front of gentle night 
Gleams like the chundun-mark on beauty's brow; 
The conscious moon which hath its silver face 
Marred with the shame of lighting earthly loves: 

And while the round white lamp of earth rose higher, 
And still he tarried, Radha, petulant, 
Sang soft impatience and half-earnest fears. 

{What fellows is to the Music Malava and the 3Iode Yati.) 
'Tis time! — he comes not! — will he conic? 

Can he leave me thus to pine? 
Yami hS kam sharanam / 
Ah! what refuge then is mine? 



48 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

For his sake I sought the wood, 
Threaded dark and devious ways; 

Tami he kam sharanam ! 
Can it be Krishna betrays? 

Let me die then, and forget 
Anguish, patience, hope, and fear; 

Yami he Team sharanam ! 
Ah, why have I lield him dear? 

Ah, this soft night torments me, 
Tliinking that his faitliless arms— 

Yami he ham sharanam ! — 
Clasp some shadow of my charms. 

Fatal shadow — foolish mock! 

When the great love shone confessed ;- 
Yami he kam sharanam ! 

Krishna's lotus loads my breast; 

*Tis too heavy, lacking him ; 

Like a broken flower I am — 
Necklets, jewels, what are ye? 

Yami he kam sharanam! 

Yami he kam sharanam ! 

The sky is still, the forest sleeps; 
Krishna forgets — he loves no more; 

He fails in faith, and Radha weeps. 

But the poet Jayadev — 
He icho is great HarVs slam. 
He who finds asylum sweet 
Only at great HarVsfeet; 
He who for your comfort sings 
AU this to the Vina's strings — 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 49 

Prays that Badha's tender moan 
In your hearts be thought upon, 
And that all her holy grace 
Live there like the loxed one's face. 

Yet, if I wrong him (sang she)— can he fail? 

Could any in the wood win back his kisses? 
Could any softest lips of earth prevail 

To hold him from my arms? any love-blisses 

Blind him once more to mine? O Soul, my prize! 

Art thou not merely hindered at this hour? 
Sore-wearied, wandering, lost? how otherwise 

Shouldst thou not hasten to the bridal-bower? 

But seeing far away that Maiden come 

Alone, with e3^es cast down and lingering steps, 

Again a little while she feared to hear 

Of Krishna false ; and her quick thoughts took shape 

In a fine jealousy, with words like these — 

Something then of earth has held him 

From his home above, 
Some one of those slight deceivers — 

Ah, my foolish love ! 

Some new face, some winsome playmate, 

With her hair untied, 
And the blossoms tangled in it, 

"Woos him to her side. 

On the dark orbs of her bosom — 

Passionately heaved — 
Sink and rise the warm, white pearl-strings. 

Oh, my love deceived! 



50 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Fair? yes, yes! the rippled shadow 

Of that midnight hair 
Shows above her brow — as clouds do 

O'er the moon — most fair: 

And she knows, with wilful paces, 

How to make her zone 
Gleam and please him; and her ear-rings 

Tinkle love; and grown 

Coy as he grows fond, she meets him 

With a modest show; 
Shaming truth wnlh truthful seeming, 

While her laugh — light, low — 

And her subtle mouth that murmurs. 

And her silken cheek, 
And her eyes, say she dissembles 

Plain as speech could speak. 

Till at length, a fatal victress, 

Of her triumph vain, 
On his neck she lies and smiles there: — 

Ah, my Jo}'! — m}" Pain! 

But may Radha'sfond annoy, 
And may Krishna's daimiiny joy ^ 

Warm and icaken love more fit — 

Jayadeva prayeth ii — 

And the griefs and sins assuage 

Of this blind and evil age. 

O Moon! (she sang) that art so pure and pale, 
Is Krishna wan like thee with loneh' w'aiting? 

O lamp of love! art thou the lover's friend, 

And wilt not bring liim, my long pain abating? 



TEE mniAN SONG OF SONGS. 51 

O fruitless moon! thou dost increjise my pain; 
O faithless Krishna! I have striven in vain. 

And then, lost in her fancies sad, she moaned— 

( What follows is to the Music Guiujar! and the Mode 
Ekatali.) 

In vain, in vain! 
Earth will of earth! I mourn more than I blame; 

If he had known, he would not sit and paint 
The tilka on her smooth black brow, nor claim 

Quick kisses from her yielded lips— false, faint— 
False, fragrant, fatal! Krishna's quest is o'er 
By Jumna's shore ! 

Vain — it was vain ! 
The temptress was too near, the heav'n too far; 

I can but weep because he sits and ties 
Garlands of fire-flowers for her loosened hair. 

And in its silken shadow veils his eyes 
And buries his fond face. Yet I forgave 
By Jumna's wave! 

Vaiuly! all vain! 
Make then the most of that whereto thou'rt given. 

Feign her thy Paradise— thy Love of loves; 
Say that her eyes are stars, her face the heaven, 

Her bosoms the two worlds, with sandal croves 
Famt-sceuted, and the kiss-marks— ah, thy dream 
By Jumna's stream! 

It shall be vain! 
And vain to string the emeralds on her arm 
And hang the milky pearls upon her neck, 



53 THE ELZEVm LIBRABY. 

Saying tliey are not jewels, but a swarm 

Of crowded, glossy bees, come there to suck 
The rosebuds of lier breast, the sweetest flowers 
Of Jumna's bowers. 

That shall be vain ! 
Nor wilt thou so believe thine own blind wooing, 

Nor slake thy heart's thirst even with the cup 
Which at the last she brims for thee, undoing 
Her girdle of carved gold, and yielding up. 
Love's uttermost: brief the poor gain and pride 
By Jumna's tide 

Because still vain 
Is love that feeds on shadow; vain, as thou dost, 

To look so deep into the phantom eyes 
For that which lives not there ; and vain, as thou must, 

To marvel why thy painted pleasure flies, 
When the fair, false wings seemed folded for ever 
By Jumna's river. 

And vain ! yes, vain ! 
For me too is it, having so much striven, 

To see this fine snare take thee, and thy soul 
Which should have climbed to mine, and shared my 
heaven, 
Spent on a lower loveliness, whose whole 
Passion of love were but a parody 

Of that kept here for thee. 

Ahaha! vain! 
For on some isle of Jumna's silver stream 

He gives all that they ask to those dull eyes, 
While mine which are his angel's, mine which gleam 

With light that might have led him to the skies— 
That almost led him — are eclipsed with tears 
Wailing my fruitless prayers. 



THE INDIAN SOJS'G OF SONGS. 53 

But thou, good Friend, 
Hang not thy head for shame, nor come so slowly, 

As one whose message is too hard to tell ; 
If tliou must say Krishna is forfeit wholly — 

Wholly forsworn and lost — let the grief dwell 
Where the sin doth, — except in this sad heart, 
Which cannot shun its part. 

great Hari ! purge from wrong 
The soul of him who writes this song; 
Purge the souls of those that read 
From every fault of thought and deed; 
With thy blessed light assuage 
TJie darkness of this evil age ! 
Jayadev the hard of love. 
Servant of tlie Qods above, 
Prays it for himself and you — 
Gentle hearts who listen ! — too. 

Then m this other strain she wailed his loss — 
{WJiatfolhws is to iJis Music BEBHAYABADt and the Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

She, not Radha, wins the crowa 

Whose false lips were dearest; 
What was distant gain to him 

When sweet loss stood nearest? 
Love her, therefore, lulled to loss 

On her fatal bosom ; 
Love her with such love as she 

Can give back in the blossom. 

Love her, O thou rash lost soul! 

With thy thousand graces; 
Coin rare thoughts into fair words 

For her face of faces; 



54 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Praise it, fling away for it 

Life's purpose in a sigh, 
All for those lips like flower-leaves, 

And lotus-dark deep eye. 

Nay, and thou shalt be happy too 

Till the fond dream is over; 
And she shall taste delight to hear 

The wooing of her lover; 
The breeze that brings the sandal up 

From distant green Malay, 
Shall seem all fragrance in the night, 

All coolness in the day. 

The crescent moon shall seem to swim 

Only that she may see 
The glad eyes of my Krishna gleam. 

And her soft glances he; 
It shall be as a silver lamp 

Set in the sky to show 
The rose-leaf palms that cling and clasp, 

And the breast that beats below. 

The thought of parting shall not lie 

Cold on their throbbing lives, 
The dread of ending shall not chill 

The glow beginning gives; 
She in her beauty dark shall look — 

As long as clouds can be — 
As gracious as the rain-time cloud 

Kissing the shining sea. 

And he, amid his playmates old, 

At least a little while, 
Shall not breathe forth again the sigh 

That spoils the song and smile ; 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 55 

Shall be left wnolly to his choice, 

Free for his pleasant sin, 
Wilh the golden-girdled damsels 

Of the bowers I found him in. 

For me, his Angel, only 

The sorrow and the smart, 
The pale grief sitting on the brow 

The dead hope in the heart; 
For me the loss of losing, 

For me the ache and dearth ; 
My king crowned with the wood-flowers! 

My fairest upon earth ! 

ITari, Lord and King of love / 
From thy throne of light above 
Stoop to help us, deign to take 
Our spirits to thee for the sake 
OftJiissong, lohich speaks the fears 
Of all who tceep icith Radha's tears. 

But love is strong to pardon, slow to part, 
And still the Lady, in her fancies, sang — 

Wind of the Indian stream! 
A little — oh! a little — breathe once more 
The fragrance like his mouth's! blow from thy shore 
A last word as he fades into a dream; 

Bodiless Lord of love! 
Show liim once more to me a minute's space. 
My Krishna, with the love-look in his face, 
And then I come to my own place above; 

I will depart nnd give 
All bnck to Fate and her : I will submit 
To thy stern will, and bow m3'self to it. 
Enduring still, though desolate, to live : 



56 THE ELZEVIB LIBRARY. 

If it indeed be life, 
Even so resigning, to sit patience-mad, 
To feel the zepliyrsburn, the sunlight sad, 
The peace of holy heaven, a restless strife. 

Haho! what words are these? 
How can I live and lose him? how not go 
Whither love draws me for a soul loved so? 
How yet endure such sorrow? — or how cease? 

Wind of the Indian wave! 
If that thou canst, blow poison here, not nard; 
God of the five sliafts! shoot thy sharpest hard, 
And kill me, Radha, — Radha who forgave! 

Or, bitter River, 
Yamiin! be Yama's sister! be Death's kin! 
Swell thy wave up to me and gulf me in. 
Cooling this cruel, burning pain forever. 

Ah ! if only visions stir 

Grief so 'passionate in her, 

Wltat dimne grief will not take, 

Spirits in heaven for the sake 

Of those who miss love f Oh, be wise ! 

Mark this storij of the skies; 

Meditate Govinda ever, 

Sitting by the sacred river, 

The mystic stream, which o'er his feet 

Glides slow, with murmurs low and sweet, 

Till none can tell whether those be 

Blue lotus-blooms, seen veiledly 

Under the wave, or mirrored gems 

Reflected from the diadems 



TEE mniAN soNa of songs. 

Bound on the brotcs of mighty Gods, 
Who lean from out their pure abodes, 
And leave their bright felicities 
To guide great Krishna to his skies. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the Giat Govinda entitled 

YlPBALABDHAVARNANE NaGARANARAYANO.) 



SABGA THE EIGHTH. 



KH AND IT AV ARN ANE 
VILAKSHALAKSHMIPATI. 

THE REBUKING OF KRISHNA. 

For when the weary night had worn away 
In these vain fears, and the clear morning broke, 
Lo, Krishna! lo, the longed-for of her soul 
Came too! — in the glad light he came, and bent 
His knees, and clasped his hands; on his dumb lips 
Fear, wonder, joy, passion, and reverence 
Strove for the trembling words, and Radha knew 
Joy won for him and her; yet none the less 
A little time she chided him, and sang, 

{What follows is to the Music Bhairavi and the Mode 
Yati.) 

Krishna! — then thou hast found me! — and thine eyes 
Heavy and sad and stained, as if with weeping! 

Ah! is it not that those which were thy prize 
So radiant seemed that all night thou wert keeping 



;S THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Vigils of tender wooing? — have thy Love! 

Here is no place for vows broken in making; 
Thou Lotus-eyed! thou soul for whom I strove! 

Go! ere I listen, my just mind forsaking. 

Krishna! my Krishna with the woodland-wreath! 

lleturn, or I shall soften as I blame; 
The while thy very lips are dark to the teeth 

With dye that from her lids and lashes came, 
Left on the mouth I touched. Fair traitor! go! 

Say not they darkened, lacking food and sleep 
Long waiting for my face ; I turn it — so — 

Go! ere I half believe thee, pleading deep; 

But wilt thou plead, when, like a love-verse printed 

On the smooth polish of an emerald, 
I see the marks she stamped, the kisses dinted 

Large lettered, by her lips? thy speech withheld 
Speaks all too plainly; go, — abide thy choice! 

If thou dost stay, I shall more greatly grieve thee; 
Not records of her victory? — peace, dear voice! 

Hence with that godlike brow, lest I believe thee. 

For dar'st thou feign the saffron on thy bosom 
Was not implanted in disloyal embrace? 

Or that this many-colored love-tree blossom 
Shone not, but yesternight, above her face? 

Comest thou here, so late, to be forgiven, 
O thou, in whose eyes Truth was made to live? 

O thou, so worthy else of grace and heaven? 

thou, so nearly won? Ere I forgive, 

Go, Krishna ! go ! — lest I should think, unwise, 

Thy heart not false, as thy long lingering seems, 
Lest, seeing myself so imaged in thine eyes, 

1 shame the name of Pity — turn to dreams 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 59 

Ths shcred sound of vows; make Virtue grudge 
Her praise to Mercy, calling thy sins light; 

Go therefore, dear offender! go! thy Judge 
Had best not see thee to give sentence right.* 

But may lie grant us peace at last and bliss 

Who heard, — and smiled to hear, — delays like this, 

Delays that dallied with a dream come true, 

Fond wilful angers; for the maid laughed too 

To see, as Radha ended, her hand take 

His dark robe for her teil, and Krishna make 

The icord she spoke for parting kindliest sign 

He should not go, hut stay. grace divine. 

Be ours too ! Jayadev, the Poet of love 

Prays it from Hari, lordliest above. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 

EnANDITAVARNANE ViLAKSHALAKSHMIPATI. ) 



SARGA THE NINTH 



KALAHANTARITAVARNANE 
MUGDHAMUKUNDO. 

THE END OF KRISHNA'S TRIAL. 

Yet not quite did the doubts of Radha die, 
Nor her sweet brows unbend; but she, the Maid- 
Knowing her heart so tender, her soft arms 
Aching to take him in, her rich mouth sad 
For the coming of his kiss, and these fears false— 
Spake yet a little in fair words like these. 



* The text hei-e is uot closely followed. 



60 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

( What follows is to iTie Music Gurjjari and the Mode 

Yati.) 

The lesson thai thy faithful love has taught him 

He has heard ; 
The wind of spring, obeying thee, hath brought him 

At thy word ; 
What joy in all the three worlds was so precious 

To thy mind? 
Md kooroo mdnini mdnamaye,^ 

Ah, be kind! 

No longer from his earnest eyes conceal 

Thy delights; 
Lift thy face, and let the jealous veil reveal 

All his rights: 
The glory of thy beauty was but given 

For content; 
Md kooroo mdiiini nidnamay^, 

Oh, relent! 

Remember, being distant, how he bore thee 

In his heart ; 
Look on him sadly turning from before thee 

To depart; 
Is he not the soul thou lovedst, sitting lonely 

In the wood? 
Md kooroo mdnini mdnamaye, 

'Tis not good! 

He who grants thee high delight in bridal-bower 

Pardons long; 
What the gods do love may do at such an hour 

Without wrong; 

* My proud one ! do not indulge in scorn. 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 61 

Why weepest thou? why keepest thou in anger 

Thy lashes down? 
Md kooTOo mdnini mdnamay}. 

Do not frown ! 

Lift thine eyes now, and look on him, bestowing, 

Without speech; 
Let him pluck at last the flower so sweetly growing 

In his reach ; 
The fruit of lips, of loving tones, of glances 

That forgive ; 
Md kooroo mdnini mdnamay e. 

Let him live! 

Let him speak with thee, and pray to thee, and prove 
thee 

All his truth ; 
Let his silent loving lamentation move thee 

Asking ruth ; 
How knowest thou? Ah, listen, dearest Lady, 

He is there; 
Md kooroo mdnini mdnamay e. 

Thou must hear I 

rare voice, voMch is a spell 
Unto all on sarth who dwell ! 
O rich voice of rapturous love. 
Making melody above ! 
Krishna's, HarVs—one in two, 
Sound these mortal verses through ! 
Sound like thai soft flute which made 
Such a magic in tJie shade — 
Calling deer-eyed maidens nigh. 
Waking wish and stirring sigh. 



62 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Thrilling blood and melting hreasts. 
Whispering love's divine unrests. 
Winning blessings to descend, 
Bringing earthly ills to end; — 
Be thou heard in this song note 
Thou, the great Enchantment, thou ! 

{Here ends thai Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 
Kalahantaritayarnane Mugdhamukundo. ) 



SARGA THE TENTH. 



MANINIVARNANE 
CHATUEACHATUEBHUJO. 

KRISHNA IN PARADISE. 

But she, abasing still her glorious eyes, 
Aud still not yieldiug all her face to him, 
Relented, till with softer upturned look 
She smiled, while the Maid pleaded; so thereat 
Came Krishna nearer, and his eager lips 
Mixed sighs with words in this fond song he sang, | 

i 
{What follows is to the Music Deshiyavaradi and the 

Mode ASHTATALI.) 

O angel of my hope! O my heart's home! 

My fear is lost in love, m}'- love in fear ; 
This bids me trust my burning wish, and come, 

That checks me with its memories, drawing near: 
Lift up thy look, and let the thing it saith 
End fear with grace, or darken love to death. 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 63 

Or only speak once more, for though thou slay me, 
Thy heavenly mouth must move, and I shall hear 

Dulcet delights of perfect music sway me 
Again — again that voice so blest and dear; 

Sweet Judge! the prisoner prayeth for his doom 

That he may hear his fate divinely come. « 

Speak once more! then thou canst not choose but show 
Thy mouth's unparalleled and honeyed wonder 

Where, like pearls hid in red lipped shells, the row 
Of pearly teeth thy rose-red lips lie under; 

Ah me! I am that bird that woos the moon. 

And pipes — poor fool! to make it glitter soon. 

Yet hear me on — because I cannot stay 
The passion of my soul, because my gladness 

Will pour forth from my heart, — since that far day 
When through the mist of all my sin and sadness 

Thou didst vouchsafe — Surpassing One! — to break, 

All else I slighted for thy noblest sake. 

Thou, thou hast been my blood, my breath, my being; 

The pearl to plunge for in the sea of life ; 
The sight to strain for, past the bounds of seeing; 

The victory to win through longest strife; 
My Queen! my crowned Mistress! my sphered bride! 
Take this for truth, that what I say beside 

Of bold love — grown full-orbed at sight of thee — 
May be forgiven with a quick remission; 

For, thou divine fulfilment of all hope! 

Thou all-undreamed completion of the vision! 

I gaze upon th}^ beauty, and my fear 

Passes as clouds do, when the moon shines clear. 



64 TEE ELZEVIR LIBRAUY. 

So if tbou'rt angry still, this shall avail, 

Look straight at me, aud let thy bright glance wound 
me; 
Fetter me! gyve me! lock me in the gaol 

Of thy delicious arms; make fast around me 
The silk-soft manacles of wrists and hands, 
Then kill me ! I shall never break those bands. 

The starlight jewels flashing on thy breast 
Have not my right to hear thy beating heart; 

The happy jasmine-buds that clasp thy waist 
Are soft usurpers of my place and part; 

If that fair girdle only there must shine, 

Give me the girdle's life — the girdle mine! 

Thy brow like smooth Bandhtika-leaves; thy cheek 
Which the dark-tinted Madhuk's velvet shows; 

Thy long-lashed Lotus eyes, lustrous and meek; 
Thy nose a Tila-bud; thy teeth like rows 

Of Kunda-petals! he who pierceth hearts 

Points with thy loveliness all five darts. 

But Eadiant, Perfect, Sweet, Supreme, forgive! 

My heart is wise — my tongue is foolish still: 
I know where I am come — I know I live — 

I know that thou art Radha — that this will 
Last and be heaven: that I have leave to rise 
Up from thy feet, and look into thine eyes! 

And, nearer coming, I ask for grace 
Now that the blest eyes turn to mine; 

Faithful I stand in this sacred place 
Since first I saw them shine: 

Dearest glory that stills my voice, 

Beauty unseen, unknown, unthought*. 

Splendor of love, in whose sweet light 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 65 

Darkness is past and nought; 
Ah, beyond words that sound on earth, 

Golden bloom of the garden of heaven I 
Radha, enchantress! Radha, the queen! 

Be this trespass forgiven — 
In that 1 dare, with courage too much 

And a heart afraid, — so bold it is grown — 
To hold thy hand with a bridegroom's touch, 

And take thee for mine, mine own.* 

So they met and so they ended 
Pain and parting, being blended 
Life with life — made one for ever 
In high love ; and Jayadeva 
Hasteneth on to close the story 
Of their bridal grace and glory. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the GUa Oovinda entitled 
Maninivaemane Chatur achaturbhu jo. ) 



SABGA THE ELEVENTH. 



RADHIKAMILANE 
SANANDADAMODARO. 

THE UNION OF RADHA AND KRISHNA. 

Thus followed soft and lasting peace, and griefs 

Died while she listened to his tender tongue. 

Her eyes of antelope alight with love ; 

And while he led the way to the bride-bower 

The maidens of her train adorned her fair 

With golden marriage-cloths, and sang this song, 

* Much here also is necessarily paraphrased. 



THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 



( What follows is to the Music Vasanta and the Mode 

Yati.) 

Follow, happy Radha! follow, — 

In the quiet falling twilight — 
The steps of him who followed thee 

So steadfastly and far; 
Let us bring thee where the Banjulas 

Have spread a roof of crimson, 
Lit up by many a marriage- lamp 

Of planet, sun, and star: 
For the hours of doubt are over. 

And thy glad and faithful lover 
Hath found the road by tears and prayers 

To thy divinest side; 
And thou wilt not now deny him 

One delight of all thy beauty, 
But yield up open-hearted 

His pearl, his prize, his bride. 

Oh, follow! while we fill the air 

With songs and softest music; 
Lauding thy wedded loveliness, 

Dear Mistress past compare I 
For there is not any splendor 

Of Apsarasas immortal — 
No glory of their beauty rich — 

But Radha has a share; 
Oh, follow ! while we sing the song 

That fills the worlds with longing. 
The music of the Lord of love 

"Who melts all hearts with bliss; 



TEE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 

For now is born the gladness 
That springs from mortal sadness, 

And all soft thoughts and things and hopes 
Were presages of this. 



Then, follow, happiest Lady ! 

Follow him thou lovest wholly; 
The hour is come to follow now 

The soul thy spells have led; 
His are thy breasts like jasper-cups, 

And his thine eyes like planets; 
Thy fragrant hair, thy stately neck, 

Thy queenly sumptuous head; 
Thy soft small feet, thy perfect lips, 

Thy teeth like jasmine petals, 
Thy gleaming rounded shoulders, 

And long caressing arms, 
Being thine to give, are his; and his 

The twin strings of thy girdle. 
And his the priceless treasure 

Of thine utter-sweetest charms. 

So follow ! while the flowers break forth 

In white and amber clusters, 
At the breath of thy pure presence. 

And the radiance on thy brow; 
Oh, follow where the Asokas wave 

Their sprays of gold and purple, 
As if to beckon thee the way 

That Krishna passed but now; 
He is gone a little forward! 

Though thy steps are faint for pleasure. 
Let him hear the tattling ripple 



68 THE ELZEVIR LIBRARY. 

Of the bangles round thy feet; 
Moving slowly o'er the blossoms 

On the path which he has shown thee, 
That when he turns to listen 

It may make his fond heart beat. 

And loose thy jewelled girdle 
I A little, that its rubies 

May tinkle softest music too, 

And whisper thou art near; 
Though now, if in the forest 

Thou should'st bend one blade of Kusha 
With silken touch of passing foot, 

His heart w^ould know and hear; 
Would hear the wood-buds saying, 

" It is Radha's foot that passes;" 
Would hear the wind sigh love-sick, 

" It is Radha's fragrance, this;" 
Would hear thine own heart beating 

Within thy panting bosom, 
And know thee coming, coming, 

His — ever, — ever — his ! 

" Mine/" — hark! we are near enough for hearing- 

" Soon she icill come — sJie will smile — she will say 
Honey-sweet words of heawnly endearing ; 
soul ! listen ; my Bride is on her wayP' 

Hear'st him not, my Radha? 

Lo, night bendeth o'er thee — 
Darker than dark Tamala-leaves — 

To list thy marriage-song; 
Dark as the touchstone that tries gold. 

And see now — on before thee — 
Those lines of tender light that creep 

The clouded sky along: 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SON(^S. 69 

O night! that trieth gold of love, 

This love is proven perfect! 
O lines that streak the touchstone sky. 

Flash forth true shining gold ! 
O rose-leaf feet, go boldly ! 

O night!— that lovest lovers — 
Thy softest robe of silence 

About these bridals fold! 

See'st thou not, my Radha? 

Lo, the night, thy bridesmaid. 
Comes! — her eyes thick-painted 

With soorma of the gloom — 
The night that binds the planet- worlds 

For jewels on her forehead, 
And for emblem and for garland 

Loves the blue-black lotus-bloom ; 
The night that scents her breath so sweet 

With cool and musky odors, 
That joys to spread her veil of shad^ 

Over the limbs of love; 
And when, with loving weary, 

Yet dreaming love, they slumber. 
Sets the far stars for silver lamps 

To light them from above. 

So came she where he stood, awaiting her 

At the bower's entry, like a god to see. 

With marriage-gladness and the grace of heaven. 

The gr«at pearl set upon his glorious head 

Shone like a moon among the leaves, and shone 

Like stars the gems that kept her gold gown close: 

But still a little while she paused — abashed 

At her delight, of her deep joy afraid — 

And they that tended her sang once more Hub, 



70 THE ELZEVIB LIBRARY. 



{What follows is to the Music Varadi and the Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

Enter, thrice-happy! enter, thrice-desired! 
And let the gates of Hari shut thee in 
With the soul destined to thee from of old. 

Tremble not! lay thy lovely shame aside; 

Lay it aside with thine unfastened zone, 

And love him with the love that knows not fear; 

Because it fears not change; enter thou in, 
Flower of all sweet and stainless womanhood I 
For ever to grow bright, for ever new; 

Enter beneath the flowers, O flower-fair! 

Beneath these tendrils, Loveliest! that entwine 

And clasp, and wreathe and|;ling, with kissing stems; 

Enter, with tender-blowing airs of heaven 
Soft as love's breatb and gentle as the tones 
Of lover's w^hispers, when the lips come close: 

Enter the house of Love, O loveliest! 
Enter the marriage-bower, most beautiful! 
And take and give the joy that Hari grants. 

Thy heart has entered, let thy feet go too! 
Lo, Krishna! lo, the one that thirsts for thee! 
Give him the drink of amrit from thy lips. 

Then she, no more delaying, entered straight; 

Her step a little faltered, but her face 

Shone with unutterable quick love ; and — while 



THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS. 

The music of ber bangles passed the porch — 
Shame, which had lingered iu her downcast eyes, 
Departed shamed * . . . and like the mighty deep, 
Which sees the moon and rises, all his life 
Uprose to drink her beams. 

{Here ends that Sarga of the Gita Govinda entitled 
Radhikamilane Sanandadamodaro.) 



Hari keep you! He whose might, 

On the King of Serpents seated, 
Flashes forth in dazzling hght 

From the Great Snake's gems repeated : 
Hari keep you! He whose graces, 

Manifold in majesty, — 
Multiplied in heavenly places — 

Multiply on earth — to see 
Better witli a hundred eyes 

Her bright charms who by him lies. 



What skill may be in singing, 

What worsJiip sound in song, 
What lore he taught in loving, 

What right divined from wrong : 
Such things hath Jayadeva — 

In this his Hymn of Love, 
Which lauds Govinda ever, — 

Displayed; may all approve! 



* This complete anticipation {salajjd lajjdpi) of the line — 

" Upon whose brow shame is ashamed to sit " 

— occurs at the close of the Sarga, part of which is here perforce 
omitted, along with the whole of the last one. 



PEAELS OF THE FAITH 

OR 

ISLAM'S ROSAET 



BEING 

THE XIMTY-mXE BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF ALLAH 
(asma-el-husna) 

With Comments in Verse from various Oriental Sources 

(as MADK by an INDIAN MUSSULMAN) 
BY 

EDWIN ARNOLD, C.SL 

AUTHOR OF "THE LIGHT OF ASIA"; "THE INDIAN 
SONG OF songs"; ETC, 



'Allah hath most excellent names, therefore call upon Him by 
the same." Kordn, oh. vii. ''Al Aardf " 



PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



PREFACE. 



It is a custom of many pious Muslims to employ in 
their devotions a three-stringed chaplet, eacli string con- 
taining thirty-three beads, and each bead representing 
one of the "ninety- nine beautiful names of Allah," 
whenever this — among many other religious uses — is 
made of it. The Koran bids them "celebrate Allah 
with an abundant celebration," and on certain occasions 
— such as during the intervals of the Tarawih night 
service in Ramadhan — the Faithful pass these ninety- 
nine beads of the rosary through their fingers, repeating 
with each " Name of God " an ejaculation of praise and 
worship. Such an exercise is called Ziki\ or " remem- 
brance," and the rosary Masba'Jiah. 

In the following pages of varied verse I have enumer- 
ated these ninety-nine " beautiful names," and appended 
to each — from the point of view of an Indian Moham- 
medan — some illustrative legend, tradition, record, or 
comment, drawn from diverse Oriental sources; occa- 
sionally paraphrasing (as closely as possible) from the 
text of the Kordn itself, any particular passage contain- 
ing the sacred Title, or casting light upon it. In this 
way it seemed possible to present the general spirit of 
IslSm under a new and not unacceptable form; since 
almost every religious idea of the Kor^n comes up in. 



4 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

the long catalogue of attributives. Tender, as well aa 
terrible; lofty in morality, albeit grim and stern in 
dogma, the "Perspicuous Book" is still, and must al- 
ways be, replete with interest for Christendom, since, if 
Islam was born in the Desert, with Arab Saboeanism for 
its mother and Judaism for its father, its foster-nurse 
was Eastern Christianity, and Muhammad's attitude to- 
wards Christ, and towards the religion which bears His 
name, is ever one of profound reverence and grateful 
recognition. Nor are the differences between the older 
and younger creed really so great as their similitudes in 
certain aspects. The soul of Islam is its declaration of 
the unity of God : its heart is the inculcation of an ab- 
solute resignation to His will. Not more sublime, there- 
fore, in religious history appears the figure of Paul the 
tent-maker, proclaiming the "Unknown God " at Athens, 
than that of the camel- driver Muhammad, son of Abdal- 
lah and Amtnah, abolishing all the idols of the Arabian 
Pantheon, except their chief— Allah Ta'Alah, "God 
the Most High" — and under that ancient and well- 
received appellation establishing the oneness of the 
origin, government, and life of the universe. Thereby 
that marvellous and gifted Teacher created a vast 
empire of new belief and new civilization, and prepared 
a sixth part of humanity for the developments and rec- 
onciliations which later times will bring. For Islam 
must be conciliated; it cannot be thrust scornfully aside 
or rooted out. It shares the task of the education of 
the world with its sister religions, and it will contribute 
its eventual portion to 

" that far-off divine event, 
Towards which the whole ci-eation moves." 

Composed amid Scotch mountains during a brief 



PREFACE. 5 

summer-rest from politics, and with no library near at 
hand for references, my book has need to ask indul- 
gence from the learned. It does but aim, however, to 
suggest (in poetic form) juster thoughts than sometimes 
prevail of Islam, of its founder, and of its votaries; em- 
ploying the language of one among them, and thiukuig 
with his thoughts, since this alone permits the necessary 
sympathy. 

I have thus at length finished the Oriental Trilogy 
which I designed. In my " Indian Song of Songs " I 
sought to transfer to English poetry a subtle and lovely 
Sanskrit idyll of the Hindoo theology. In my ''Light 
of Asia" I related the story and displaj^ed the gentle and 
far-reaching doctrines of that great Hindoo prince who 
founded Buddhism. I have tried to present here, in the 
simple, familiar, and credulous, but earnest spirit and 
manner of Isl^m — and from its own points of view — 
some of the thoughts and beliefs of the followers of the 
noble Prophet of Arabia, 

EDwm Aknold, C.S.I. 

Glengtle, Perthshire, Scotland, 
September^ 1883. 



OOlsTTENTS. 



NO. PAGE 

1. ALLAH 13 

2. Ar-Eahmdn " The Merciful" 15 

(The Sinful Angels.) 

3. Ar-Baheem " The Compassionate' ' 17 

(Solomon and the Ant.) 

4. Al-Mdlik " The King of Kings" 19 

(The Sultan and the Potter.) 

5. Al-Kuddiis "TheHolyOne" 22 

(God's Name in Heaven.) 

6. As-Saldm " The Peace" 24 

(The Peace of Paradise.) 

7. Al-Maumin " The Faithful " 27 

(The Verity of Sayid.) 
%. Al-Muhaimin " The Help in Peril " 30 

(The Spider and the Dove.) 
9. Al-Hathim "The Mighty" 32 

(The Throne- Verse.) 

10. Al-Jabbdr "The AH- Compelling" 33 

(Sura 59.) 

11. Al-MutakahUr " The Majestic" 34 

(Azar and Abraham.) 

12. Al-KJialik "The Creator" 35 

(Signs of the Lord.) 

13. Al-Bari "The Artificer" 37 

(Angels' Wings.) 

14. Al-Mibzawwir " The Fashioner" 38 

(The Making of Man.) 

15. Al-Ghaffdr " The Forgiver" 40 

(Abraham's Offence.) 

16. Al-Kahhdr "The Dominant" 42 

(Sura "Of the Cattle.") 



8 CONTENTS. 

NO. PAGE 

17. Al-WahhAb " The Bestower" 44 

(AJi and the Angels.) 

18. Al-Razzdk " The Provider" 49 

(Sura " Of the Forenoon.") 

19. Al-FAtta'h " The Opener" 50 

(Mulianimad's.Iourney to Heaven.) 

^. Al-'Alim "The All-Kiiower" 55 

(The Moakkib&t.) 

21. Al-Kabiz "TheCloser" 57 

(Evil Deeds.) 

22. Al-Bdsit "The Uacloser" 59 

(Ciood Deeds.) 

OS. Al-Khdfiz "TheAbaser" 62 

(Nimrud and the Gnat.) 

24. Ar-Rafi "TheExalter" 63 

(Allah's Prophets.) 

25. Al-Muhizz " The Honourer' 65 

(Sura " Of Imran's Family.") 

26. Al-Muzil " The Leader Astray" 66 

(God's Will and Free-will.) 

27. As-SamV/t " The All-Hearing ' 68 

(A Shepherd's Prayer ) 

28. Al-Bazir " The All-Seeing" 71 

(Azrael and the Indian Prince.) 

29. AlHdkim "The Judge of All " 73 

(The Last Day.) 

30. AlHddil " The Equitable" 75 

(Sura " Of Jonas.") 

31. Al-Latif " The Gracious One" 76 

(Sura " Of Counsel.") 

32. AlKhablr "He who is Aware" 77 

(Muhammad in the Cemetery.) 
3.3. AlH/llim " The Clement " 78 

(The Dharra and the Date-stone.) 
M. Al-'Aziz "TheStrong" 79 

(Sura " Of Al-Akh&f.") 

35. Al-Ghdfir " The Pardoner" 80 

(Hassan's Slave.) 

36. A$hSMkir "ITie Thankful " 88 

(Sura " Of Al-K&uthar.") 



CONTENTS. 9 

NO. PAGE 

87. Al-'Alee " The Exalted " &4 

(Sura "Of the Bee.") 

38. Al-Kahtr "The Verj- Great " 85 

(The Seven Heavens.) 

89. Al-Hdfiz "Tlie Preserver" 87 

(Sura " Of tlie Night Star.") 

40. Al-Mukxt " The Maintainer" 88 

(Sura " Of the Inevitable.") 

41. Al-Hasib "The Reckoner" 90 

(Sura " Of Women.") 

42. Al-Jamil "The Beneficent " 91 

(The Rose-Garden.) 
AZ. Al-Karxm "The Bountiful" 93 

(Sura " Of Cleaving Asunder.") 
U. Al-Rakib " The Watchful " 94 

(The Books of Good and Evil.) 

45. Al-Mujib " The Hearer of Prayer" 96 

(Ali and the Jew.) 

46. Al-Was'ih "The All-Compreliending" 100 

(Turning to Mecca.) 

47. Al-Hdkim al Mutlak. . " The Judge of Judges" 101 

(The Angels of the Scales.) 

i8. Al-Wadood "The Loving" 103 

(Tasmin and Salsabil.) 

49. Al-Majid " The All Glorious" 106 

(Sura "Of the Cow.") 

50. Al-Bdhith "The Raiser from Death" 107 

(Iblis and Abraham.) 

51. Ash-Shahtd "The Witness" 110 

(Poets and Prophets.) 

52. AlHakk " The Truth" Ill 

(The Sin of Sins.) 

53. Al-Wakil " The Guardian" 1J2 

(Sura "Of the Cow.") 

54. Al-Kawi " The Almighty' ' 113 

(The Fly and the False Gods.) 

55. AlMateen "The Firm" 114 

(The Tent-Pole.) 
66. AlWali " The Nearest Friend " 115 

(Abraham's Bread.) 
yr. Al-IIamid " The All-Praiseworthy" 119 

(The Garden and the Rock.) 



10 CONTENTS. 

NO. PAGE 

58. Al-MUhsi. . . , "The Accountant" 120 

(Sura " Of the Earthquake.") 

59. Al-Mubdi " The Beginner" 121 

(The Light of Life.) 

60. Al-Mu'htd " The Restorer" 122 

(A Message from the Dead.) 

61. Al-Mo'hyi " The Quickener" 135 

(Sura "Of the Signs.") 
m. Al-Mumtt "The Slayer" 120 

(The Angel of Death.) 
m. Al-Haiy " Tlie Ever-Living" 1>9 

(The Life Beyond.) 
U. Al-Kaiijum " The Self-Subsisting" 130 

(The Trumpet.) 
65. Al-Wdjid " The All-Perceiving" 131 

(Sura " Of Daybreak.") 
GO. Al-Wdhid " The One" 133 

(Al-I'hlas.) 
or. As-Samad ." The Eternal " 134 

(Ozair the Jew.) 
08. Al-Kadar "Providence" 138 

(Kismat.) 

69. Al-Muktadir " The All-Powerf ul " 139 

(Sura " Of the Moon.") 

70. Al-Mukaddim { "The Fore war ner' ' j . . _ 

71. Al-Muivakhir > " The Fulfiller" f 

(Sura "Of K.") 

72. Al-Aivwal \ " The First " ^ 

73. Al-Akhir ( " The Last " f .^ 

74. Ath-Thdhir f "The Manifest" C 

75. Al-Bdtin J " The Hidden" ) 

(The " Mothers of the Names.") 
73. Al-Wdli " The All-Governing" 114 

(Solomon's Signet.) 
77. Al-Mutdhdli " The One above E-eproach" 149 

(Moses and the Angel.) 
73. Al-Barr "The Good" 151 

(The Adulteress.) 
7^. Al-Taivwdb " The Relenting" 154 

(Adam quitting Eden.) 



S3. Al-Muntakim { "The Avenger" I 

Si. Al-Ghafoor I " The Rewarder" '' ' 

(Hell and Heaven.) 



156 



CONTENTS. 11 

NO. PAGra: 

82. Al-RaivHf " The Ever-Indulgent " 160 

(Sura " Of the Star.") 

83. Mdlik-ul-Mulki " King of the Kingdom" 162 

(Sura "Of the Enaigration." 

84. DhuHjaldl wa Ikrdm.^^ Lord of Splendid Power" 163 

(Sura " Of the Merciful.") 

85. AhMuksit " The Equitable" 164 

(The Last Sermon of the Prophet.) 

86. Al-JamVh " The Gatherer" 167 

(Sura "Of Women.") 

87. Al-Ghant "The All-Suflficing" 168 

(Sura "Of Troops.") 

88. Al-Mughnt " The Sufficer" 170 

(Sura " Of the Afternoon.") 

89. Al-Mii'hti I " The Provider" 

90. Al-Mdni' 

(The Two Gateways.) 

91. An-Ndfi'h " The Propitious" 173 

(The Dove.) 

92. Az-Zarr " The Harmful " 175 

(King Sheddad's Paradise.) 
m. An-Noor "The Light" 181 

(Sura " Of Light.") 
9i. Al-Hddi "The Guide" 182 

(The Four Travellers.) 

95. Al-Azali ) " Eternal in the Past 

96. AlBdkt ) " Eternal in the Future' 

(Sura " Of Ya Sin.") 

97. Al-Warith "The Inheritor" 186 

(The Rose and the Dewdrop.) 

98. Al-Raschtd " The Unerring" 188 

(The Prophet's Oath.) 

99. Az-Zaboor "The Patient" 190 

(Islam.) 
Notes V 



it i " The Provider" \ 

i'JO " The Withholder" i 



ire" i 



184 



''Allah! " Bi-'smi-'llah1 Say that God is One, 
Living, Eternal; and besides Him none. 



Say Ar-Rahmdn ! " The Merciful " Him call ; 
For He is full of mercy unto all. 

Once on a day, in Paradise, 

Discourse indignant did arise 

Amongst the Angels, seeing how 

The sons of Adam sinned below; 

Albeit Allah's grace had sent 

Prophets with much admonishment. 

" Heedless and guilty race," they cried, 

" Whose penitence is set aside 

At each temptation ! Truth and Right 

Ye know not!" Then a wondrous light 

Fell on their brows — a mighty word 

Sounded — the Presence of the Lord 

Spake: " Of your number choose ye two 

To go among mankind and do 

' Justice and Right,' teaching them these." 

Tiierewith, from those bright companies, 

Ilariit went and Marut went down 

On earth, laying aside llieir crown 

Of rays, and plumes of rainbow feather; 

And on the judgment-seat together 

Many long years tliey sate, and wrought 

Just judgment upon each cause brought. 



16 PEABLS OF THE FAITH. 

Until, before that justice-seat 
There came a woman, fair and sweet, 
So ravishing of form and mien 
That great Soharah, who is queen 
Of the third planet, hath not eyes 
As soft, nor mouth made in sucli wise, 
A£-r;;:^one wliom slie did wrong, besought 
Sentence against her: she had nought 
Of plea, but in her dazzling grace 
Stood fearless in the audience-place; 
Consuming hearts with hot desire 
By subtle Beauty's searching fire. 
Then said Harut, forgetting Heaven, 
" Pardon to such must, sure, be given." 
Whispered Marut, " If thou wilt be 
Leman of mine, thou shalt go free." 
And for her love those two contended, 
Till the false scene was sorely ended 
With earthquake, and with lightning-flash, 
And rolling thunder's wrathful crash, 
*' Midst which the city and the folk 
Passed from their ken, and a Voice spoke : 
*' Come unto judgment, ye who called 
Allah too merciful !" 

Appalled 
Harut lay and Marut lay prone 
In Paradise, before the Throne; 
Hearing that doom of God, which said: 
" Until My trumpet calls the dead. 
Dwell on the earth, where ye have learned 
The just may unto sin be turned." 



Merciful One and just ! we bless 
Thy name, and crave forgiveness. 



4 



SOLOMON AND THE ANT. 17 



3 

Say Ar-Raheem! call Him '*Compasmnate,** 
For He is pitiful to small and great. 

' Tis written that tlie serving-angels stand 
Beside God's throne, ten myriads on each hand. 
Waiting, with wings outstretched and watchful eyes, 
To do their Master's heavenly embassies. 
Quicker than thought His high commands they read, 
Swifter than light to execute them speed; 
Bearing the word of power from star to star 
Some hither and some thither, near and far. 
And unto these nought is too high or low, 
To mean or mighty, if He wills it so; 
Neither is any creature, great or small. 
Beyond His pity; which embrace th all, 
Because His eye beholdeth all which are; 
Sees without search, and counteth without care, 
Nor lies the babe nearer the nursing-place 
Than Allah's smallest child to Allaii's grace; 
Nor any ocean roll so vast that He 
Forgets one wave of all that restless sea. 

Thus it is written ; and moreover told 

How Gabriel, watching by the Gates of gold, 

Heard from the Voice Ineffable this word 

Of two-fold mandate uttered by the Lord: 

" Go earthward! pass where Solomon hath made 

His pleasure-house, and sitteth there arrayed. 



18 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Goodly and splendid — whom I crowned the king — 
For at this hour My servant doth a thing 
Unfitting: out of Nisibis there came 
A thousand steeds with nostrils all a-flame 
And limbs of swiftness, prizes of the fight; 
Lo! these are led, for Solomon's delight, 
Before the palace, where he gazeth now 
Filling his heart with pride at that brave show; 
So taken with the snorting and the tramp 
Of his war-horses, that Our silver lamp 
Of eve is swung in vain, Our warning Sun 
Will sink before his sunset- prayer's begun; 
So shall the people say, ' This king, our lord. 
Loves more the long-maned trophies of his sword 
Than the remembrance of his God? ' Go in! 
Save thou My faithful servant from such sin." 

" Also, upon the slope of Arafat, 
Beneath a lote-tree which is fallen flat, 
Toileth a yellow ant who carrieth home 
Food for her nest, but so far hath she come 
Her worn feet fail, and she will perish, caught 
In the falling rain ; but thou, make the way naught, 
And help her to her people in the cleft 
Of the black rock." 

Silently Gabriel left 
The Presence, and prevented the king's sin, 
And holp the little ant at entering in. 



Thou loliose love is wide and great. 
We praise Thee, " The Compassionate,'^ 



THE SULTAN AND THE POTTER. 19 



Call Him " Al-Mdlik," King of all the Icings, 
Maker and Master of created tilings. 

The Sultan of Damascus found asleep 

The potter Ebn Solul, 
And bore him to the palace, where he waked 

In garments beautiful. 



Consider! if a king should call thee " friend," 

And lead thee to his court, 
Roofed large with lazulite, and pavemented 

With flow'rs, on green floors wrought; 

If he should bid thee sit at meat; and spread 

A table, served so fine 
There lacked not any pleasant food or fruit 

But came at call of thine; 

If he hung high a glorious golden lamp 

To shine where thy feet tread; 
And stretched black 'broidered hangings, sown with 
gems, 

For curtains to thy bed ; 

If for thy heats he bade soft zephj^rs blow; 

Sent, at thy thirst, sweet rains; 
And filled the groves with minstrels, gayly garbed, 

To charm thee with their strains i 



20 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

If, past the confines of his palace-grounds, 

He showed thee spacious seas, 
Where, wafted o'er the dancing foam, might sail 

Thou and thine argosies; 

If, for society in that fair place, 

He gave glad companies, 
Kinsmen and friends and helpmates, and the bliss 

Of beauty's lips and eyes ; 

With wisdom's scroll to study, and the ways 

Of wondrous living things ; 
And lovely pleasure of all ornaments 

That Nature's treasure brings, 

Coral and pearl ; turkis, and agate stones 

Milk-white or rosy-veined; 
Amber and ivory; jade; shawls wove with gold, 

Scarves with sea-purple stained; 

If the king gave thee these, and only wrote 

Upon his inner door: 
" Serve me and honor me and keep my laws, 

And thus live evermore 

In belter bliss, when ye shall pass hereby, — 

As surely pass ye must: — " 
Who is there would not praise that monarch's name 

With forehead in the dust? 



Lo! but He doeth this— Allah our King, 

His sky is lazulite; 
His earth is paved with emerald-work ; its stores 

Are spread for man's delight; 



THE SULTAN AND TEE POTTER. 21 

His sun by day, His silver stars by night, 

Sliine for our sakes, His breeze 
Cools us and wafts our ships ; His pleasant lands 

Are girdled with the seas 

Which send the rain, and make the crj^stal bridge 

"Whereby man roams at will 
From court to court of Allah's pleasure-house; 

Seeing that writing still 

Upon the inner gate— which all must pass— 

"Love me and keep my laws 
That ye may live, since there is greater life 

Beyond these darkened doors." 



If Ebn Sohil, the potter, loved Him not 
Whose kindness was so strong; 

If Ebn Soldi kept not the palace laws. 
Had not that Sultan wromr? 



Sovereign Giver of good things, 

We praise Thee, " Malik,'' King of kings. 



22 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



Allah-al-Kuddds — the *' Iloly One'* He is; 
But purify thy speech, pronouncing this; 

For even Israfil, 

Who waits in Heaven still 
Nearest the Throne, and hath the voice of sweetness, 

Before his face doth fold 

The wings of feathered gold, 
Saying " AI-Kuddils;" and in supreme completeness 

Of lowly reverence stands, 

Laying his angel-hands 
Over his lips, lest Allah's holiest name 

Be lightly breathed on high ; 

And that white mystery 
Pass, as if that and others were the same. 

*Iblis — 'tis written — when 

He heareth among men 
The name of "Allah" spoken, shrinks and flies; 

But at the sound of this. 

Uttered in realms of bliss. 
The Djins and Angels, in their ranks, arise. 

And what believer dares 
Begin his morning prayers 

*Cf. Koran, cxiv. chapter " Of men." 



GOD'S NAME IN HEAVEN. 23 

"Without '* wuzu'h" — th' ablution? who is seen 

His Koran to rehearse 

But hath in mind, its verse, 
*' Let none me touch, save such as are made clean?" 

Lo! if with streams or sands 

Ye lave the earnest hands 
Lifted in prayer ; and if ye wasli the mouth 

Which reads the sacred scroll, 

Dare ye with sullied soul 
Meditate this dread word, that shrines the truth 

Of Allah's purity? 

Bethink! His great eyes see 
The hearts of men unto their inmost core ! 

Make clean your hearts within; 

Cast forth each inmost sin; 
Then with bowed brows, say this name, and adore. 



Forgive, Tlioiu Pure One! — Wliom we blesi—' 
Of our good deeds the sinfulness. 



24 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



Ihou Who art '' Peace, "^ and unto 'peace dost bring, 
AUah-as-Saldm ! we praise Thee, Judge and King ! 

When th* unshunned Day arriveth, none of men shall 

doubt it come; 
Into Hell some it will lower, and exalt to Heaven 

some. 

When the earth with qnakenings quaketh, and the 

mountains crumble flat, 
Quick and dead shall be divided threefold ; on this side, 

and that, 

The Companions of the right hand (ah! how joyful 

they will be !) 
The Companions of the left hand (oh! what misery to 

see!) 

Such, moreover, as of old time, loved the truth and 

taught it well, 
First in faith, they shall be foremost in reward: the 

rest to Hell! 

But those souls attaining Allah, — ah, the Gardens of 

good cheer 
Kept to lodge them! yea, besides the "Faithful," 

many will be there. 



THE PEACE OF PARADISE. 25 

Lightly lying on soft couches, beautiful with broidered 

gold, 
Friends with friends, they shall be served by youths 

immortal, who will hold 

Akwab, dbareek — cups and goblets — brimming wilh ce- 
lestial wine — 

Wine which hurts nor head nor stomach — this and 
fruits of Heaven which shine 

Bright, desirable; and rich flesh of what birds they rel- 
ish best; 

Yea, and feasted, there shall soothe them damsels fair- 
est, stateliest — 

Damsels having eyes of wonder, large black ej^es like 

hidden pearls, 
Lulu-l-maknun, Allah grants them, for sweet love, 

those matchless girls. 

Kever in that Garden hear they speech of folly, sin, or 

dread; 
Only "Peace" — As-Scddm only — that one word for ever 

said, 

"Peace! Peace! Peace!" and the Companions of the 

right hand (ah! those bowers !) 
They shall roam in thornless lote-groves, under mawz- 

trees hung with flowers; 

Shaded, fed by flowing waters; near to fruits which 
never cloy. 

Hanging always ripe for plucking; and at hand the ten- 
der joy 



26 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Of those maids of Heaven, the Houris: lo! to them We 

gave a birth 
Specially creating, lo! they are not as the wives of 

earth ; 

Ever virginal and stainless, how so often they embrace, 
Always young and loved and loving these are; neither 
is there grace 

Like the grace and bliss the Black-eyed keep for you in 

Paradise, 
O Companions of the right hand! O ye others that were 

wise ! * 



Giver of peace ! when comes that day, 
Set us within Thy sight, tee pray. 



* Cf. Koran, Ivi. chapter " Of the Inevitable.' 



4- 



THE VERITY OF SAYID. 27 



Al-Maumin ! " Faithful,'' fast, and just is He, 
And loveth such as live in mrity. 

Ibn Sawa, Lord of Bahrein, in the field 

Captured a Sheilih, an Arab of the hills, 

Sayid-bin-Taj^f ; and the king's oath was passed 

That each tenth man of all tlie captives die 

Together with their chieftains, for the war 

Waxed fierce, and hearts of men were turned to flame. 

So led they Sayid forth before the camp 

At Azau ; and a eunuch of the guard. 

Savage and black, stood with his haick uprolled 

Back to the armpit, and the scimetar's edge 

Naked to strike. 

But suddenly the king 
Inquired, " Art thou not he gave me to drink, 
Hunting gazelles, before the war began?" 
" Yea, I am he!" said Sayid. 

Quoth the king, 
" Ask not thy life, but ask some other boon, 
That I may pay my debt." 

Sayid replied, 
" Death is not terrible to me who die 
Red with tliis unbelieving blood of thine; 
But there hath come a first-born in my tent; 



38 PEARLS OF THE FAITH 

Fain would I see my son's face for a day, 
Before mine eyes are sealed. Lend me my life. 
To hold as something borrowed from thy hand. 
Which I will bring again." 

" Ayl" laughed the king, 
" If one should answer for it with his own. 
Show me thy hostage 1" 

" Let me stand his bond," 
Spake one on whom the lot of mercy fell — 
Ishak of Tayf, a gallant youth and fair — 
" I am his sister's son; bind ye. my arras, 
And set free Sayid, that he ride at speed, 
And see his first-born's face, and come again." 

So Sayid went free again, seeking his home. 
But in the camp they mocked that faithful friend, 
Saying, " Lol as a fool thou diest now. 
Staking thy life upon an Arab's word. 
Why should he haste, to abide the bitter blade? 
Will the scared jackal try the trap again; 
The hawk once limed return unto the snare? 
Cry to the desert-wind to turn and come. 
But call not Sayid." 

Ish^k only smiled. 
And said, " He is a Muslim, he will comel" 

The days passed, Sayid came not, and they led 
The hostage forth, for Ishak now must die; 
But still he smiled, saying, " Till sunset's hour 
Slay me not, for at sunset he will come." 

So fell it, for the sun had touched the palms. 
And that black swordsman stood again in act 



THE VERITY OF SAYID, 29 

To strike, when Sayid's white mare, galloping in, 
Drew steaming breath before the royal tent; 
And Sayid, leaping from the saddle, kissed 
His kinsman's eyes, and gently spake to all, 
*' Labhayki! I am here." 

Then said the king, 
" Never before was known a deed like this 
That one should stake his life upon a word; 
The other ride to death as to a bride. 
Live, and be friends of Ibn S^wa, but speak! 
AVhence learned ye these high lessons?" 

Ishak spake, 
" We are believers in the book which saith, 
'Fulfil your covenants, if ye covenant; 
For God is witness! break no word with men 
Which God hath heard; and surely he hears all.' "* 

That verse the king bade write in golden script 
Over the palace gate; and he and his 
Followed the Faith. 

Ya! Allah al-Maumin ! 
hi trutJifulness of act he our faith seen. 

* Cf. Koran, xvi. chapter *' Of the Bee." 



30 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



8 



Call Him Muhaimin, " Help in danger's hour,** 
Protector of the true wlw trust His power. 

The spicier and the dove! — what thing is weak 

If Allah makes it strong? 
The spider and the dove ! — if He protect, 

Fear thou not foeman's wrong. 

From Mecca to Medina fled our Lord, 

The horsemen followed fast; 
Into a cave to shun their murderous rage, 

Muhammad, weary, passed. 

Quoth Abu Bekr, " If they see, we die!" 

Quoth Ebn Foheir, "Away!" 
The guide Abdallah said, " The sand is deep, 

Those footmarks will betray." 

Then spake our Lord, "We are not four, but Five; 

' He who protects ' is here. 
Come! Al-Muhaimin now will blind their eyes; 

Enter, and have no fear." 

The band drew nigh; one of the Koreish cried, 

" Search ye out yonder cleft, 
1 see the print of sandalled feet which turn 

Thither, upon the left!" 



I 



THE SPIDER AND THE DOVE. 81 

But when they drew unto the cavern's mouth, 

Lo I at its entering-in, 
A ring-necked desert dove sate on her eggs ; 

The mate cooed soft within. 

And right athwart the shadow of the cave 

A spider's web was spread; 
The creature hung upon her net at watch; 

Unbrolien was each thread. 

"By Thammuz' blood," the unbelievers cried, 

"Our toil and time are lost; 
Where doves hatch and the spider spins her snare 

No foot of man hath crossed 1" 

Thus did a desert bird and spider guard 

The blessed Prophet then ; 
For all things serve their Maker and their God 

Better than thankless men. 



AUah-al-Muhaimin ! shield and save 
Us, for his sake within that cave. 



82 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH, 



9 



Say Al-Hatliim ! He is the Miglity One ! 

Praise Him, and hear the great ''Verse of the Throne.'* 

"Allah! there is none other God but He, 

The Living God, the Self-subsistent One; 
Weariness cometh not to Him. nor sleep; 

And whatso is belongs to Him alone 
In heaven and earth; who is it intercedes 

With Him, save if He please? He is aware 
What is before them and what after them. 

And they of all His knowledge nothing share 
Save what He will vouchsafe. His throne's foundation 

Sits splendid, high above the earth and sky. 
Which to sustain gives Him no meditation: 

Mightiest He is, Supreme in Majesty." 



Ayatu-l-Koorsiy ! this loe Muslims grave 
On polished gem and j^ainfed architrave; 
But thou, torite its great letters on thy heart. 
Lauding the Mighty One, whose work thou art. 



SUBA FIFTY-NINE. 83 



10 



The ''All-Compelling !" golden is that verse, 
Which doth Ilis title — Al-Jabbdr — rehearse. 

Sura tlie nine and fiftieth: " Fear ye God, 

O true believers! and let every soul 

Heed what it doth to-day, because to-morrow 

The same thing it shall find gone forward there 

To meet and make and judge it. Fear }'e God, 

For He knows whatsoever deeds ye do. 

Be not as those who have forgotten Him, 

For they are those who have forgot themselves ; 

They an; the evil-doers: not for such, 

And for the heritors of Paradise, 

Shall it be equal; Paradise is kept 

For those thrice blessed who have ears to hear. 

Lo! had we sent "the Book" unto Our hills, 
Our hills had bowed their crests in reverence, 
And opened to the heart their breasts of rock 
To take Heaven's message. Fear jq Him who knows 
Present, and Past, and Future: ft-ur ye Him 
Who is the Only, Holy, Faithful Lord, 
Glorious and good, compelling to His mMU 
All things, for all things He hath made and rules. 



So rule, Al-Jabbdr; make our irAlls 
Bend, though more stubborn than the hills. 



34 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



11 

Al-Mutakahbir ! all the heavens declare 
His majesty, Who makes them what they are. 

AzAR, of Abraham the father, spake 

Unto his son, '* Come! and thine offerings make 

Before the gods whose images divine 

In Nimrud's carved and painted temple shine. 

Pay worship to the sun's great orb of gold; 

Adore the queen-moon's silver state; behold 

Otared, Moshtari, Sohayl, in their might, 

Those stars of glory, those high lords of light. 

These have we wrought, as fitteth gods alone, 

In bronze and ivory and chiselled stone. 

Obey, as did thy sires, these powers of Heaven 

Which rule the world, throned in the circles seven." 

But Abraham said, " Did they not see the sun 
Sink and grow darkened, when the days were done; 
Did not the moon for them, too, wax and wane, 
That they should pay her worship, false and vain? 
Lo ! all these stars have laws to rise and set — 
Otared, Moshtari, Sohayl — wilt thou yet 
Bid me praise gods who humbly come and go, 
Lights that a Greater Light hath kindled? No I 
I dare not bow the knee to one of these; 
My Lord is He who (past the sky man sees) 
Waxeth and waneth not, Unchanged of all, 
Him only ' God,' Him only 'Great,' I call." 

Well spah'st thou, Friend of Allah ! none 
Is ''great " except the Greatest One. 



mows OF THE LORD. 35 



13 



Praise the " Creator T He who made us live, 
Life everlasting unto us can give. 

By the glorious Book We have sent ! do they wonder a 
Warner is come 
Out from among themselves? do the misbelievers say 
"This is a marvellous thing! what! when we are dead 
and dust 
To live! to arise! see now, this hope is a hope far 
away!" 

But what the grave shall consume, and what of the 
man it shall leave, 
"We know, for a roll is with Us where each soul's 
order is set. 
Will they call the truth a lie when it cometh to them, 
and dwell 
Wrangling and foolish and fearful, confounding the 
matter? But yet 

The heaven is above them to see how fair We have 
builded its arch, 
Painted it golden and blue, finished it perfect and 
clear; 
And the earth how We spread it forth, and planted the 
mountains thereon; 
And made all the manifold trees and the beautiful 
blossoms appear. 



36 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 

Memorials are these to the wise, and a message to him 
who repents; 
Moreover We drop from the clouds the blessing of 
water, the rain, 
Whereby the cool gardens do grow, and the palms 
soaring up to the sky 
With their date-laden branches and boughs, one over 
the other; and grain 

To nourish the children of men. Lo! thus We have 
quicliened dead clay 
On the bosom of earth, and beneath her so, too, shall 
a quickening be. 



Wliat! deem they it wearied God to create? — that His 
power was spent? 
They are fools, and they darken their eyes to that 
which He willeth them see. 

We have fashioned man, and we know the thoughts of 
his innermcfst heart; 
We are closer to him than his blood, more near than 
the vein of his throat; 
At the right of ye all sits a watcher, a watcher sits at 
your left ; 
And whatso each speaketh or thinketh, those two 
have known it and note. 



AUKhdlik ! Fashioner Divine ! 
Finish Thy work and make us Thine ! 



ANGELS' WINGS. 37 



13 



Al-Bdri! Moulder of each form and frame, 
Pots praise the Potter, when we speak tJiis name. 

Praise "be to God, the Designer, Builder of earth and 
of Heaven! 
Fashioned His Angels He hath, making them mes- 
sengers still; 
Two wings to some and four wings to some, and to 
some He hath given 
Six and eight silver wings, making what marvels 
He will. 

Verily mighty is He, and what He bestoweth of 
blessing 
None can withhold; and none what He withholdeth 
can send; 
Children of men ! remember the mercies of Allah to- 
wards ye, 
Is there a Maker save this, is there another such 
Friend? 



Nowhere another one, we see. 
Wondrous *' Artificer J'' like Thee. 



38 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



U 



Al-Muzawwir ! ths " FasMoner!" say thus 
Still lauding Him who hath compounded us. 

When the Lord would fasliion men, 
Spake He in the Angels' hearing, 

"Lo! Our will is there shall be 
On the earth a creature bearing 

Rule and royalty. To-day 

We will shape a man from clay." 

Spake the Angels, " Wilt Thou make 
Man who must forget his Maker, 

Working evil, shedding blood, 
Of Thy precepts the forsaker? 

But Thou knowest all, and we 

Celebrate Thy majesty." 

Answered Allah, "Yea! I know 
What ye know not of this making; 

Gabriel ! Michael ! Israfil I 
Go down to the earth, and taking 

Seven clods of colors seven. 

Bring them unto Me in Heaven." 

Then those holy Angels three 

Spread their pinions and descended; 

Seeking clods of diverse clay, 
That all colors might be blended ; 



TEE MAKING OF MAN. 39 

Yellow, tawny, dun, black, brown, 
White and red, as men are known. 

But the earth spake, sore afraid, 

"Angels ! of my substance take not; 

Give me back my dust, and pray 
That the dread Creator make not 

Man, for he will sin, and briug 

Wrath on me and suffering." 

Therefore empty-handed came 

Gabriel. Michael. Israfil, 
Saying, "Lord ! Thy earth imploreth 

Man may never on her dwell; 
' Tie will sin and anger thee. 
Give me back my cla}^! ' cried she." 

Spake the Lord to Azrael, 

"Go thou, who of wing art surest. 

Tell my earth this sliall be well; 

Bring those clods, which thou procurest 

From her bosom, unto Me; 

Shape them as I order thee." 

Thus 'tis written how the Lord 

Fashioned Adam for His glory. 
Whom the Angels worshipped, 

All save Iblis ; and this story 
Teacheth wherefore Azrael saith, 
" Come thou!" at man's hour of death. 



Allah! when he doth call us. take! 
We are such clay as Thou dld'st make. 



40 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



15 



Al-Ohaff&r, tJie " Forgivei^" praise thereby. 
Thy Lord who is so fall of clemency. 

Once, it is written, Abraham, " God's Friend," 

Angered his Lord; for there had ridden in 

Across the burning yellow desert-flats 

An aged man, haggard with two days' drouth. 

The water-skin swung from his saddle-fork 

Wrinkled and dry; the dust clove to his lids, 

And clogged his beard; his parched tongue and black 

lips 
Moved to say, " Give me drink," yet uttered nought; 
And that gaunt camel which he rode upon, 
Sank to the earth at entering of the camp, 
Too spent except to lay its neck along 
The sand, and moan. 

To whom when the}^ had given 
The cool wet jar, asweat with diamond-drops 
Of sparkling life, that way-worn Arab laved 
The muzzle of his beast, and filled her mouth ; 
Then westward turned with blood-shot, worshipping 

eyes. 
Pouring forth water to the setting orb: 
Next, would have drunk, but Abraham saw, and said, 
"Let not this unbeliever drink, who pours 
God's gift of water forth unto the sun, 
Which is but creature of the living Lord." 



ABEAIIAM'S OFFENCE. 41 

But while the man still clutched the precious jar, 
Striving to quaff, a form of grace drew nigh, 
Beauteous, majestic. If he came afoot, 
None knew, or if he glided from the sky. 
With genlle air he filled a gourd and gave 
The man to drink, and Abraham — in wrath 
That one should disobey him in his tents — 
Made to forbid; when full upon him smote 
Eyes of divine light, eyes of high rebuke — 
For this was Michael, Allah's messenger — 
**Lo ! God reproveth thee, thou Friend of G-od! 
Forbiddest thou gift of the common stream 
To this idolater, spent with the heat. 
Who, in his utmost need, watered his beast, 
And bowed the knee in reverence, ere he drank? 
Allah hath borne with him these threescore years, 
Bestowed upon him corn and wine, and made 
His household fruitful and his herds increase; 
And find'st thou not patience to pity him 
Whom God hath pitied, waiting for the end, 
Since none save He wotteth what end will come, 
Or who shall find the light. Thou art rebuked! 
Seek pardon! for thou hast much need to seek." 

Thereat the Angel vanished, as he came; 
But Abraham, with humbled countenance, 
Kissed reverently the heathen's hand, and spake — 
Leading him to tlie chief seat in the tent — 
"God panlon me, as He dotli pardon thee!" 



Long-suffering Lord I ah, who should he 
Forgiven, if Thou loert as wef 



43 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 



16 



Al-Kahhdr call Eiim — " Dominant,^' the King, 
Who maketh, knowethy ruleth everything. 

The " Chapter of the Cattle :"* Heaven is whose, 
And whose is eartli ? Say Allah's, That did choose 

On His own miglit to lay the law of mercy. 
He, at the Resurrection, will not lose 

Oue of His own. What falleth, night or day, 
Falleth by His Almighty word alway. 

Wilt thou have any other Lord than Allah, 
Who is not fed, but feedeth all flesh? Say! 

For if He visit thee with woe, none makes 
The woe to cease save He; and if He takes 

Pleasure to send thee pleasure, He is Master 
Over all gifts; nor doth His thought forsake 

The creatures of the field, nor fowls that fly; 
They are *'a people" also: "These, too, I 

Have set," the Lord saith, "in My book of record; 
These shall be gathered to Me by and by." 

With Him of all things secret are the keys; 
None other hath them, but He hath; and sees 

Whatever is in land, or air, or water, 
Each bloom that blows, each foam-bell on the seas, 

* Cf. KorSji, vi. chapter " Of the Cattle." 



SITE. 4. " OF THE CATTLE." 43 

Nor is {here nny little hidden grain 
Swelling benc;itli the sod, nor in the main 
Any small fish or shell, nor of the earth 
Green things or dry things upon hill or plain, 

But these are written in th' unerring Book : 
And what ye did by day, and when ye took 

Your slumbers, and the last sleep ; then to Him. 
Is your return, and the account's there! — lookl 



Al-Kahhcir ! All-embracing One! 
Our trust is fixed on Thee alone. 



44 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



17 



Praise " the Bestower:'' unto all that live 
He giveth, and He loveth those who give. 

The Imam Ali, Lion of tbe Faith, 

Have ye not heard his giving? what he had 

The poor had, for he held his gold and goods 

As Allah's almoner. Ali it was 

Who in the Mecca mosque at evening prayer — 

Being entreated by some needy one — 

Would not break off, yet would not let the man 

Ask him in vaiu for what he asked of God, 

Favor and aid; wherefore — amid the words — 

He drew his emerald, carved with Allah's praise. 

From his third finger, giving it; and pra3^ed 

With face unturned. 

If he had pieces ten, 
He succored five score; if one dinar, then 
Into ten dirhems he divided that, 
And fed ten " people of the bench." Our Lord 
(On whom be peace!) in all men's hearing said, 
"This is the Prince of Givers P' 

Once it fell, 
Being sore hungered in his house, he cried, 
" Fatmehl thou daughter of the Prophet of God, 
Find me to eat, if thou hast any food." 



All AND THE ANGELS. 45 

And Fatraeli said, " Father of Hassan! here 

Not a dry date is left— not one — I swear 

By Him besides Whom is none other God; 

But in the corner of the tomb I laid 

Six silver akchas: take them, if thou wilt. 

And buy thee in the market food, and bring 

Fruits for our boys, Hassan and Hussain." Thus 

Ali departed. On his way lie spied 

Two Mussulmans, of whom one rudely haled 

The other, crying, " Pay thy debt, or come 

Unto the prison where the smiter w-aits." 

And he who owed had nought, and wept amain. 

Sighing, " Alas the day!" But Ali asked, 

" What is thy debt, my brother?" Then he moaned, 

" Six akchas, for the lack of which the chains 

Must load me." " Nay!" spake Ali, "they are here; 

Take them and pay the man, and go in peace." 

So went that debtor free, but Ali came 

Empty in hand and belly home again 

Unto his door, where Fatmeh and the sons, 

Hassan and Hussain, seeing him approach, 

Ran joyous forth, crying, *' He bringeth us 

Dates now, and honey, and new camels' milk; 

Soon shall we feast." But when they saw his cloth 

Hang void, and troubled eyes, and heard him say, 

" Upon my road I met a poorer man 

Who, for six akchas, should have borne the chains; 

To him I gave them, and I bring ye nought," 

Then the lads wept; but Fatmeh smiled and spake: 

"Well hast thou done, O servant of the Lord! 

Weep not, ye sons of Ali, though we fast; 

Who feedeth Allah's children, feasts His own: 

He, the ' Bestower,' will provide for us." 



46 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

But Ali turned, heart-sore because the boys 
Lacked meat, and Fatmeh's lovely eyes were sunk 
Hollow with hunger. " I will go," thought he, 
'• Unto the blessed Prophet, for, if one 
Be burdened with a thousand woes, his word 
Dismisses them and makes the sorrow joy." 
So bent he mournful steps thither, to tell 
The Lord Muhammad of this strait, when — lo! 
An Arab in mid path encountered him, 
Of noble bearing, with a chieftain's mien, 
Leading a riding-camel by her string. 
Black, with full teeth, the best beast ever foaled. 
"Buy Wurdah! — buy my desert rose," quoth he; 
"One hundred akchas make her thine, so thou 
Shalt own the best in Hedjaz, or at choice 
Sell her for double money." Ali said, 
" The beast is excellent! fain would I buy. 
But have not in my scrip thy price." " Go to," 
The Sheikh replied; " lake her and bring th}' gold. 
When Allah pleaseth, to the western gate; 
I will await thee." 

Ali nodded; took 
The nose-string, turning to the left to seek 
The camel-merchants that should buy the beast; 
Wliom at the very entry of the Khan 
Another Arab in the desert garb. 
Lordly and gracious like his fellow, met. 
And quick saluted, saying, " Peace with thee! 
God send thee favor! wilt thou sell me now 
Thy riding-camel with the great stag-eyes? 
Here be three hundred akchas counted down. 
Silver and gold, good money ! Such an one 



ALI AND THE ANOELS. 47 

I sought, but found not, till I saw thee here." 

" If thou wilt buy," quoth Ali, " be it so!" 

And thereupon that Bedawee counted out 

Dinars and dirhems — little suns and moons 

Of glittering gold and silver — in his cloth, 

And took the beast; but Ali, with one piece 

Bouglit food and fruits, and, hastening home again, 

Heard his lads laugh with joy to see the store 

Poured fortli ; — white cakes and dates and amber 

grapes — 
And snuled himself to mark Fatmeh's soft eyes 
Gladden; then, having eaten, blessed the Lord, 
Giver of gifts, "Bestower." 

So, once more 
Made he to go unto the western gate 
To pay his seller; but upon the street 
The Prophet met him. Lightly smiled our Lord, 
(On whom be comfort!) lightly questioned he, 
Saying, " O Ali! who was he did sell 
Thy riding-camel, and to whom didst thou 
Sell her again?" Quoth Ali, "Only God 
Knoweth, except thou knowest!" Spake our Lord, 
" Yea, but I know! that was great Gabriel, 
Chief messenger of Heaven, from whom thou bought'st; 
And he to whom thou sold'st was Israfil, 
Hi3 heavenly fellow; and that beast did come 
Forth from the pleasure-fields of Paradise, 
And thither back is gone; for — look! my son, 
Allah hath recompensed thee fifty times 
Tlie goodly deed thou didst, giving thine all 
To free the weeping debtor. Oh, He sees 
And measures and bestows; but what is kept, 



48 PEARLS OF THE FAITU. 

Beyoud gifts here, for kindly hearts that love, 
God only wotteth, and the Eternal Peace." 



Bestower ! grant us grace to see 
Oar gain is wJuat we lose for Thee. 



SURA ''OF TEE FORENOON." 49 



18 



Al-Razzdk ! the " Pi'onder /" iJius again 
Praise Him who, liamng formed ihee, doth sustain. 

By the Ligli dawn, 
When the light of the sun is strong! 

B}^ tlie thick night, 
When the darkness is deep and long! 
He hath not forsook thee, nor hated! 

By his mercies. I say. 
The life which will come shall be better 

Than the life of to-day. 

In the latter days 
The Lord thy " Provider" shall give; 

When thou knowest His gift 
Thou wilt not ask rather to live; 
Look back 1 thou wert friendless and frameless. 

He made thee from nought ; 
Look back! thou wert blinded and wandering, 

To the light thou art brought! 
Consider! shall Allah forego thee 

Since thus He hath wrought? * 



Thefator of thy Lord perpend, 
And praise His mercies without end. 



*Cf. Koran, xciii. chapter '\0f the Forenoon. 



50 PEABLS OF THE FAITH. 



19 



Al-Fattd'h! praise the " Opener!*^ and red'c, 
The marcels of that " Journey of the Night. " * 

Our Lord Muhammad lay upon the hill 
Safai, whereby the holy city stands, 
Asleep, wrapped in a robe of camels' wool. 
Dark was the night — that Night of grace — and still; 
When all the seven spheres, by God's commands, 
Opened unto him, splendid and wonderful! 

For Gabriel, softly lighting, touched his side, 
Sayiug, "Rise, thou enwrapped one! come and see 
The things which be beyond. Lo! I have brought 
Borak, the horse of swiftness; mount and ride!" 
Milk-white that steed was, with embroidery 
Of pearls and emeralds in his long hair wrought. 

Hooved like a mule he was, with a man's face; 
His eyes gleamed from his forelock, each a star 
Of lucent hyacinth; the saddle-cloth 
Was woven gald, which priceless work did gracel 
The lightuiug goeth not so fast or far 
As those broad pinions which he fluttered forth. 

One heel he smote on Safa, and one heel 
On Sinai — where the dint is to this day. 

* Cf. Koran, xvii. chapter " Of the Night Journey." 



MUHAMMAD'S JOURNEY TO HEAVEN. 51 

Kext at Jerusalem he neighed. Our Lord, 
Descending with th' Archangel there, did kneel 
Making the midnight prayer ; afterwards they 
Tethered him to the Temple by a cord. 

" Ascend!" spake Gabriel; and behold! there fell 
Out of the sky a ladder bright and great, 
Whereby, with easy steps, on radiant stairs, 
They mounted — past our earth and heaven and hell — 
To the first sphere, where Adam kept the gate, 
Which was of vaporous gold and silvery squares. 

Here thronged the lesser Angels: some took charge 
To fill the clouds with rain and speed them round. 
And some to tend live creatures; for what's born 
Hath guardians there in its own shape : a large 
Beauteous white cock crowed matins, at the sound 
Cocks in a thousand planets hailed the morn. 

Unto the second sphere by that white slope 
Ascended they, whereof Noah held the key; 
And two-fold was the throng of Angels here; 
But all so dazzling glowed its fretted cope, 
Burning with beams, Muhammad could not see 
What manner of celestial folk were there. 

The third sphere lay a thousand years beyond 
If thou should'st journey as the sun-ray doth, 
But in one FdtiJiah clomb they thitherward. 
David and Solomon in union fond 

Ruled at the entrance, keeping Sabaoth 
Of ceaseless joy. The void was paven hard 

With paven work of rubies— if there be 
Jewels on earth to liken unto them 



53 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Which had such color as no goldsmith knows — 
And here a vast Archangel they did see, 
"Faithful of God " his name, whose diadem 
Was set with peopled stars; wherefrom arose 

Lauds to the glory of God, filling the blue 
With lovely music, as rose-gardens fill 
A land with essences; and young stars, shaking 
Tresses of lovely light, gathered and grew 
Under his mighty plumes, departing still 
Like ships with crews and treasure, voyage-making. 

So came they to the fourth sphere, where there sate 
Enoch, who never tasted death; and there 
Behind its portal awful Azrael writes; 
The shadow of his brows compassionate 
Made night across all worlds; our Lord felt fear, 
Marking the stern eyes and the hand which smites. 

For always on a scroll he sets the names 

Of new-born beings, and from off the scroll 

He blotteth who must die; and holy tears 

Roll down his cheeks, recording all our shames 

And sins and penalties; while of each soul 

Monker and Nakir reckon the arrears. 

Next, at the fifth sphere's entry, they were 'ware 
Of a door built in sapphire, having graven 
Letters of flashing fire, the faith unfolding, 
" Theke is no God save God." Aaron sate there 
Guarding the " region of the wrath of Heaven;" 
And Israfil behind, his trumpet holding. 

His trumpet holding — which shall wake the dead 
And slay the living — all his check puffed out, 



MUHAMMAD'S JOURNEY TO HEAVEN. 53 

Bursting to blow; for none knows Allah's time, 
Nor when the word of judgment shall be said: 
And darts, and chains of flame, lay all around, 
Terrible tortures for th' ungodly's crime. 

When to the sixth sphere passed they, Moses sped 
Its bars of chrysoprase, and kissed our Lord, 
And spake full sweet, "Prophet of Allah! thou 
More souls of Ismael's tribes to truth hast led. 
Than I of Isaak's." Here the crystal sword 

Of Michael gave the light they journeyed through. 

But at the seventh sphere that light which shone 
Hath not an earthly name, nor any voice 
Can tell its splendor, nay, nor any ear 
Learn, if it listened ; only he alone 
Who saw it, knows how there th' elect rejoice, 
Isa, and Ibrahim, and the souls most dear. 

And he, the glorious regent of that sphere, 
Had sevent}' thousand heads ; and every head 
As many countenances; and each face 
As many mouths ; and in each mouth there were 
Tongues seventy thousand, whereof each tongue said. 
Ever and ever, "Praise to Allah! praise!" 

Here, at the bound, is fixed that lotus tree 
Sedra, which none among the Angels pass; 
And not great Gabriel's self might farther wend: 
Yet, led by presences too bright to see, 

Too high to name, on paths like purple glass 
Our Lord Muhammad journeyed to the end. 

Alone! alone! through hosts of Cherubim 
Crowding the infinite void with whispering vans, 



54 PEAELS OF THE FAITH. 

From splendor unto splendor still he sped; 
Across the "Lake of Gloom'' they ferried him, 
And then the *' Sea of Glory:" mortal man's 
Heart cannot hold tiie wonders witnessed. 

So to the "Redon of the Veils" he came, 
"VThich shut all times off from eternity. 
The bars of being where thought cannot reach : 
Ten thousand thousand are tbey. walls of flame 
Lambent with loveliness and mystery. 

Ramparts of utmost heaven, having no breach. 

Then he saw God! our Prophet saw the Throxe! — 
O Allah I let these weak words be forgiven! — 
Thou, the Supreme, "the Opener," spake at last; 
The Throne! the Throne! he saw; — our Lord alone! 
Saw it and heard! — but the verse falls from heaven 
Like a poised eagle, whom the lightnings blast. 



And Gabriel waiting b}' the tree he found : 
And Borak. tethered to the Temple porch : 
He loosed the horse, and 'twixt its wings ascended. 
One hoof it smote on Zion's hallowed ground, 
One upon Sinai: and the day-star's torch 
"Was not yet fading when the journey ended. 



Al-Fdttd'hf " Opener/" we say 
Thy name, and toorshzp Thee alway. 



THE MOAKKIBAT. 55 



20 



Al^'AUm! the " All-Knower !" by this word 

Praise Him Who sees th' unseen, and Tiears th' unheard. 

If ye keep hidden your mind, if ye declare it aloud. 
Equally God hath perceived, equally known is each 

thought: 
If on your housetops ye sin, if in dark chambers ye 
sliroud, 
Equally God hath beheld, equal!}' judgment is 
wrought. 

He, without listing, doth know how many breathings 
ye make ; 
Kumbereth the hairs of your heads, wotteth the beats 
of your blood; 
Heareth the feet of the ant when she wanders by night 
in the brake; 
Counteth the eggs of the snake and the cubs of the 
wolf in the wood. 

Mute the Moakkibat* sit this side and that side of men. 
One on the right noting good, and one on the left 
.noting ill; 
Each hath those Angels beside him who write with in- 
visible pen 
Whatso he doeth. or sayeth, or thinketh. recording it 
still, 

* These are the " Successors," or Angels of Record, who relieve 
each other in the duty of registering human axitions, etc. 



56 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Vast is the mercy of God, and when a man doeth aright, 
Glad is the right-hand Angel, and setteth it quick on 
the roll ; 
Ten times he setteth it down in letters of heavenly 
light, 
For one good deed ten deeds, and a hundred for ten 
on the scroll. 

But when one doeth amiss the right-hand Angel doth 
lay 
His palm on the left hand Angel and whispers, "For- 
bear thy pen! 
Perad venture in seven hours the man may repent him 
and pray ; 
At the end of the seventh hour, if it must be, witness 
it then."* 



Al-'Alim! Thou Who knowest all, 
With hearts unveiled on Thee we call. 



* Cf. Koran, xiii. chapter "Of thunder." 



EVIL DEEDS. 57 



21 



Takbuzu tea Tahsutu! heaven and hell 
He closeth and undoseth — and doth well ! * 

In gold and silk and robes of pride 

An evil-hearted monarch died ; 

Pampered and arrogant his soul 

Quitted the grave. His eyes did roll 

Hither and thither, deeming some 

In that new world should surely come 

To lead his spirit to a seat 

Of state, for kingly merit meet. 

What saw he? 'tAvas a hag so foul 

There is no Afrit, Djin, or Ghoul 

With countenance as vile, or mien 

As fearful, and such terrors seen 

In the fierce voice and hideous air, 

Blood-dripping hands and matted hair. 

"Allah have mercy!" cried the king, 

" Whence and what art thou, hateful thing?" 

"Dost thou not know — who gav'st me birth?" 

Replied the form; "thy sins on earth 

In me embodied thus behold, 

I am thy wicked work ! unfold 

Thine arms and clasp me, for we two 

In hell must live thy sentence through." 

* Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Cow." 



58 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Then with a bitter cry, 'tis writ, 
The Iting's soul passed unto the pit. 



Al-KaUz! so He bars the gate 
Against the unregenerate. 



GOOD DEEDS, 59 



22 



Tet He wlio shuts the gate, just wrath to wreaks 
Unbars it, full of mercy, to the meek. 

There died upon the Miraj night, 

A man of Mecca, Amru height; 

Faithful and true, patient and pure, 

Had been his years; he did endure 

In war five spear-wounds, and in peace 

Long journeying for his tribe's increase; 

And ever of his gains lie gave 

Unto poor brethren — kind as brave: 

But these forsook, and age and toil 

Drained the strong heart as flames drink oil; 

Till, lone and friendless, gray and spent — 

A thorn-tree's shadow for his tent, 

And desert sand for dying-bed — 

Amru the camel-man lay dead. 

"What is it that the 'Hadith saith? 

Even while the true eyes glazed in death, 

And the warm heart wearied, and beat 

The last drum of its long defeat, 

An Angel, lighting on the sand, 

Took Amru's spirit by the hand, 

And gently spake, "Dear brother, come I 

A sore road thou didst journey home; 



60 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 

But life's dry desert thou hast passed, 
And Zem-Zem sparkles nigh at last." 
Then with swift flight those twain did rise 
Unto the gates of Paradise, 
Whicli opened, and the Angel gave 
A golden granate, saying, " Cleave 
This fruit, my brother!" But its scent 
So heavenly seemed, and so intent, 
So rapt was Amru, to behold 
The great fruit's rind of blushing gold 
And emerald leaves — he dared not touch, 
Murmuring, "O Malik! 'tis too much 
That I am here, with eyes so dim, 
And grace all fled." Then bade they him 
Gaze in the stream which glided stilly, 
'Mid water-roses and white lily, 
Under those lawns and smiling skies 
That make delight in Paradise; 
When, lo! the presence imaged there 
Was of such comeliness, no peer 
Among those glorious Angels stood 
To Amru, mirrored in the flood. 



"I ! is it I?" he cried in gladness, 
"Am I so changed from toil and sadness?'* 
" This was thy hidden self," replied 
The Angels. "So shalt thou abide 
By our bright river evermore ; 
And in that fair fruit's secret core — 
Which on the Tree of Life hath grown — 
Another marvel shall be shown. 
Ah, happy Amru! cleave!" He clove: — 
Sweet miracle of bliss and love! 



i 



GOOD DEEDS. 61 

Forth from the pomegranate there grew, 

As from its bud a rose breaks through, 

A lovely, stately, lustrous maid. 

Whose black orbs long silk lashes shade. 

Whose beauty was so rich to see 

No verse can tell it worthily ; 

Kor is there found in any place 

One like her for the perfect grace 

Of soft arms wreathed and ripe lips moving 

In accents musical and loving; 

For thus she spake: " Peace be to thee, 

My Amru!" Then, with quick cry, he: 

"Who art thou, blessed one? what name 

Wearest thou? teach my tongue to frame 

This worship of my heart. " Said she, 

*' Thy good deeds gave me being: see. 

If in my beauty thou hast pleasure. 

How the Most High doth truly treasure 

Joy for his servants. Murzieh I — 

She that doth love and satisfy — 

And I am made by Allah's hand 

Of ambergris and musk, to stand 

Beside thee, soothing thee, and tending 

In comfort and in peace unending." 

So hand in hand, 'tis writ, they went 
To those bright bowers of high content. 



Al-BdsU ! thus He opens wide 
His mercies io the justified. 



m -«« 



62 PEARLS OF THE FAITK 



23 



AlrKhdjiz! the *'Ahaser!" praise hereby 
Him Who doth mock at earthly majesty. 

Heakd ye of Nimriid? Cities fell before him; 

Sliinar, from Accad to the Indian Sea, 
His garden was; as God, men did adore him; 

Queens were his slaves, and kings his vassalry. 

Eminent on his car of carven brass, 

Through f oeman's blood nave-deep he drave his wheel ; 
And not a lion in the river-grass 

Could keep its shaggy fell from Nimriid's steel. 

But he scorned Allah, schemed a tower to invade Him; 

Dreamed to scale Heaven, and measure might with 
God; 
Heaped high the foolish clay wherefrom We made him, 

And built thereon his seven-fold house of the clod. 

Therefore, the least Our messengers among, 
We sent; — a gray gnat dancing in the reeds: 

Into his ear she crept, buzzing, — and stung. 
So perished mighty Nimriid and his deeds. 



Thou Ahaser of all pride ! 
Mighty Thou ai'i, and none beside. 



ALLAH'S PROPHETS. 68 



24 



Ar-Bdfif the "Emlferf" lay d Him so 
Who loves the humble and lifts up the low. 

Whom hath He chosen for His priests and preachers. 
Lords who were eminent, or men of might? 

Nay, but consider how He seeks His teachers. 
Hidden, like rubies unaware of light. 

Ur of the Chaldees! what chance to discover 
Th' elect of Heaven in Azar's leathern tent? 

But Allah saw his child, and friend, and lover, 
And Abraham was born, and sealed, and sent. 

The babe committed to th' Egyptian water! 

Knew any that the tide of Nilus laved 
The hope of Israel there? yet Pharaoh's daughter 

Found the frail ark, and so was Moses saved. 

Low lies the Syrian town behind the mountain 
Where Mary, meek and spotless, knelt that mom, 

And saw the splendid Angel by the fountain, 
And heard his voice, "Lord Isa shall be born!" 

Nay, and Muhammad (blessed may he be I), 

Abdallah's and Aminah's holy son, 
Whom black Halimah nursed, the Bedawee, 

Where lived a lonelier or a humbler one? 



64 



PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



Think how he led the camels of Khadijah, 
Poor, but illumined by the light of Heaven ; 

Mightier than Noah, or Enoch, or Elijah, 
Our holy Prophet to Arabia given. 

Man knew him not, wrapped in his cloth, and weeping 
Lonely on Hir^ all that wondrous night; 

But Allah for his own our Lord was keeping:— 

"Pise, thou enwrapped one!" Gabriel spake, "and 
write." 



Save God there is none liigh at all, 
Nor any low wJiom lie doth call. 



SURA "OF IMRAN'S FAMILY:' 65 



25 



Al-Muliizz I by this title celebrate 

The " Honorer" Whose favor makeih great. 

Say "God," say "Lord of all! 
Kingdoms and kings Thou makest and unmakest, 
This one Thou takest, that one Thou forsakest; 

Alike are great and small; 

Into Thy hand they fall." 

" In Thy dread hand they rest; 
Their nights and days, their waking and their sleeping, 
Their birth, and life, and death lie in Thy keeping; 

' Be thus ' to each Thou say'st, 

And thus to be is best, 

"Though it seem good or ill. 
IslSm! — to Thee our souls we do resign, 
Turning our faces to the blessed shrine; 

Seeking no honor still 

Save from Thy win."* 



Al-MuMzz! only this we pray 
To learn Thy will and to obey. 



Cf. Koran, iii. chapter " Of Imran's Family.' 



namwan^ 



66 J'EARLS OF THE FAITH. 



26 



0, Al-Muzil ! ichat if it be Thy icill, 
Having made man, to lead him into ill? 

Saith the Perspicuous Book: " All things which be are 
of God; 
Neither, except by His word, falleth a leaf to the 
ground ; 
If He will open He openeth, and whom He hath blinded 
He blindeth, 
Leading, misleading; to none liable, blamable, 
bound."* 

Saith the Perspicuous Book: "Tied on the neck of a 
man 
Hangeth the scroll of his fate, not a line to be gain- 
said or grudged ; 
When the trumpet of Israfil thunders, the Angels will 
show it and say. 
Read there what thine own deeds Lave written; 
thyself by thyself shall be judged." f 

Wilt thou be wiser than God Who knoweth beginning 

and end? 
Wilt thou be juster than He whose balance is turned 

by a sigh? 

■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 

♦Cf. Koran, lii. chapter " Of Imran's Family." 

t Cf . Kor&n, xvii. chapter " Of the Night Journey." 



GOD\S WILL AND FREE-WILL. 67 

He sayeth, " It shall not be equal for the doers of right 
and of wrong." 

"It shall not be equal," He sayeth, " for them that 
accept and deny." * 



Al'Muzil! lead us not astray ! 
Teach us to find the perfect way. 




68 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 



27 



As-Sami'hf Thou Hearer! none can be 
So far ^ his crying doth not come to TJiee. 

Writes iu his Mesnevl, Jelalu-'d-deen: 

There came a man of Yaman, poor and old. 

To Mecca, making pilgrimage ; untaught, 

A shepherd of the hills. Humble he trod 

The six mikat, the stages of the Had j ; 

Humbly indued the ihr^m, garb of faith 

Which hath no seam; made due ablutions, kissed 

The black stone ; then three times with hastening feet 

Circled the Kaabah, and four times paced 

With slackened gate the tawaf, as is due, 

(For such observances the Mollah taught). 

But, when he bowed before the Holy Place, 

Thus brake his soul from him, knowing no prayer, 

Full of God's love, though ignorant of God: 

" O Master! O my Sheikh! where tarriest Thou? 

Show me Thy face that I may worship Thee, 

May toil Thy servant, which I am in heart: 

Ah ! let me sew Thy shoes, anoint Thine hair, 

Wash Thy soiled robes, and serve Thee daily up 

My she-goats' freshest milk — I love thee so! 

Where hidest Thou, that I may kiss Thine hand, 

Chafe Thy dear feet, and ere Thou takest rest — 

In the gold sky, beside Thy sun, belike, 



A SHEPHEItD'S PRAYER. 69 

Among the soft-spread fleeces of Thy clouds- 
Sweep out Thy chamber, my joy, my Kiug!" 

Which hearing, they who kept the shrine, incensed, 
Had haled him to the gateway, crying, "Dogl 
What blasphemy is this thou utterest, 
Saying such things of Him That hath no needs 
Of nourishment, nor clothing, nor repose. 
Nor hands, nor feet, nor any form or frame; 
That thou, base keeper of the silly herd, 
Shouldst proffer service to the All-Powerful? 
Meet were it that we stoned thee dead with stones, 
Who art accursed and injurious. 
Beyond! these holy walls are not for thee." 

So, sore abashed, that shepherd made to go, 
Silent and weeping; but our Prophet marked, 
And with mild ej'es smiled on the man ; then spake 
To those that drave him forth: "Ye, when ye pray 
Outside this holy place, in distant lands, 
Whither turn ye your faces?" Each one said, 
"Unto the Kaabah." "And wlien ye pray. 
Within the blessed precincts, pilgrims here, 
Which way lies Mecca?" " All is f^acred here," 
They answered, "and it matters nought which way." 
"Lo! now ye reason well," replied our Lord; 
*' Inside the Kaabah it matters nought 
Whither men turn; and in the secret place 
Of perfect love for God, words are as breath 
And will is all. This simple shepherd's prayer 
Came unto Allah's ears clearer than yours. 
Nathless his ignorance, because his heart — 
Not tongue, not understanding— uttered it. 



■~f" 



70 PEARLS OF THE FAITJl 

Make room for God's poor lover nigliest me ; 
Good fellowship hath any man with him 
To whom Heaven's ear as quick inclines it.self 
As doth a mother's when her babe lisps love." 

Then were they sore ashamed in that hour. 



Hearer of hearts! As-Sami'h! so 
Our love inspire, and Thine bestow. 



AZBAEL AND THE INDIAN PRINCE. 71 



28 



Al-Bazir f TJwu Seer! great and small 
Live in Thy vision, which embraceth all. 

Were it one wasted seed of water-grass, 
Blown by the wind, or buried in the sand. 
He seeth and ordaineth if it live; 
Were it a wild bee questing honey-buds, 
He seeth if she find, and how she comes 
On busy winglets to her hollow tree. 
The seeing of His eyes should not be told. 
Though all the reeds in all the earth were cut 
To writing-sticks, and all the seven seas 
Were seven times multiplied, flowing with ink, 
And seventy angels wrote. He beholds all 
Which was, or is, or will be: yea, with Him 
Is present vision of five secret things: 
The day of Judgment; and the times of rain; 
The child hid in the womb — is quickenring. 
And whether male or female ; — what will fall 
To-morrow (as ye know what did befall 
Yesterday); and where every man shall die.* 

" Where every man shall die." Al Beidhawi 
Presenteth how there sate with Solomon 
A prince of India, and there passed them by 
Azrael, Angel of Death, on shadowy plumes; 

* Cf. Koran, xzxi. chapter *' Of Lokman." 



72 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

With great eyes gazing earnestly, as one 

Who wonders, gazing. And, because the prince 

Sate with the king, he saw what the king saw, 

The Djins and Angels, and saw Azrael 

Fixing on him those awful searching eyes. 

" What name, I pray thee, wears yon messenger?" 

So asked he of the king; and Solomon 

Made answer, " It is Azrael, who calls 

The souls of men." "He seemed," whispered the 

prince, 
" To have an errand unto me; — bid now 
That one among thy demon ministers 
Waft me, upon the swiftest wing that beats. 
To India, for I fear him." Solomon 
Issued command, and a swift Djin sprang forth 
Bearing the prince aloft, so that he came 
To Coromandel, ere the fruit — which fell 
Out of the fig — had touched the marble floor. 

Thereupon Azrael said to Solomon, 

" I looked thus earnestly upon the man 

In wonder, for my Lord spake, ' Take his soul 

In India; ' yet behold he talked with thee 

Here in Judaea! Now, see! he hath gone 

There where it was commanded he should die." 

Then followed Azrael. In that hour the prince 
Died of a hurt, sitting in India. 



With Thee, Lord, he the time and place, 
So that we die in Thy dear grace. 



TEE LAST DAY, 73 



29 



Al-Hdkim / think upon the Day of Doom, 

And fear " the Judge" before Whom all must come. 

When the sun is withered up, 

And the stars from Heaven roll; 

When the mountains quake, 

And ye let stray your she-camels, gone ten months in foal ; 

When wild beasts flock 

With the people and the cattle 

In terror, in amazement, 

And the seas boil and rattle ; 

And the dead souls 

For their bodies seek; 

And the child vilely slain 

Is bid to speak. 

Being asked, "Who killed thee, little maid? 

Tell us his name!" 

While the books are unsealed. 

And crimson flame 

Flayeth the skin of the skies. 

And Hell breaks ablaze; 

And Paradise 

Opens her beautiful gates to the gaze ; — 

Then shall each soul 

Know the issues of the whole. 

And the balance of its scroll.* 



* Cf. Koran, Ixxxi. chapter " Of the folding? Up.' 



74 PEARLS OW THE FAITH, 

Shall We swear by the stars 

"Which fade away? 

By the Night drowned in darkness. 

By the dead Day? 

We swear not! a true thing is this; 

It standeth sure, 

He saw it and he heard, and Our word 

Will endure ! 

When the sky cleaves asunder, 

And the stars 

Are scattered; and in thunder 

All the bars 

Of the seas burst, and all the graves are emptied 

Like chests upturned, 

Each soul shall see her doings, done and undone, 

And what is earned. 

The smiting, the smiting 

Of that Day! 

The horror, the splendor, 

Who shall say? * 

The Day when none shall answer for his brother; 

The Day which is with God, and with none other. 



Al-Hdkim ! Judge ! Save by Tliy 'power. 
Who might abide that awful hour ? 

*Cf. Koran, Izzxii. chapter " Of Cleaving Asunder." 




SURA ♦* OF JONAS:* 75 



30 



Al-HddU! 0'' Just Lord r we magnify 

Thy righteous Law, which shall the whole world try. 

God will roll up, when this world's end approacheth, 
The broad blue spangled hangings of the sky, 

Even as As-Sigill * rolleth up his record, 
And seals and binds it when a man doth die. 

Then the false worshippers, and what they follow. 

Will to the pit, like "stones of hell," descend; 
But true believers shall hear Angels saying, 
'* This is your day; be joyous without end." f 

In that hour dust shall lie on many faces, 
And may faces shall be glad and bright; % 

Ye who believe, trust and be patient always. 
Until God judges, for He judges right. § 



Give us to pass hefore Thy throne 
Among the number of Thine own! 



* A name of the Angel of Registration, 
t Cf. Koran, xxi. chapter " Of the Prophets." 
X Cf. Koran, Ixxx. chapter " Of the Frown." 
§ Cf. Koran, x. chapter " Of Jonas." 



76 PEAULS OF THE FAITH. 



81 



Dread is His wrath, but boundless is His grace, 
Al-Latif! Lord! show us Thy "favoring" face/ 

Most quick to pardon sins is He: 

Who unto God draws near 
One forward step, God taketli three 

To meet, and quit his fear. 

If ye will have of this world's show, 
God grants, while Angels weep; 

If ye for Paradise will sow, 
Eight noble crops ye reap.* 



Ah, Gracious One, we toil to reap : 
The soil is hard, the way is steep I 



* Cf. Koran, xlii. chapter " Of Counsel." 



MUHAMMAD IN THE CEMETEMY. 77 



32 



Al-EhaUr! Thou Who art ''aware" of all, 
By this name also for Thy grace we call. 

One morning in Medina walked our Lord 
Among the tombs: glad was the dawn, and broad 
On headstones and on footstones sunshine lay; 
Earth seemed so fair, 'twas hard to be away. 
•' O people of the graves!" Muhammad said, 
" Peace be with you! Your caravan of dead 
Hath passed ttie defile, and we living ones 
Forget what men ye were, of whom tbe sons, 
And what your merchandise and where ye went ) 
But Allah knows these things! Be ye content 
Since Allah is • aware.' Ah! God forgive 
Those that are dead, and us who briefly live." 



Yea ! pardon. Lord, since Thou dost know 
To-morrow, nmo, and long ago. 



78 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



33 



Al'Hdlim ! " Clemenf is our Lord a^ove ; 
Magnify Allah by this name of love. 

Te know the ant that creeps upon the fig, 

The dharra, made so small, 
Until she moveth in the purple seeds 

She is not seen at all. 

If, on the judgment-day, holding the scales — 

When all the trial's done — 
The Angel of the Balance crieth, '* Lordl 

The good deeds of this one 

Outweigh his evil deeds, justly assessed, 

By half one dharra' s weight;" 
Allah will say, " Multiply good to him. 

And open Heaven's gate!" 

Not if thy work be worth a date-stone's skin 

Shall it be overpast ; 
Thus it is written in the Sacred Book,* 

Thus will it be at last. 



Faithful and just, Al-Hdlim ! we 
Take refuge in Thy clemency. 



* Cf. Koran, iy. chapter " Of Women." 



SVRA ** OF AL-AKHAF." 79 



34 



Al-'Aziz! ** Strong and Sovereign" Ood, Thy hand 
Is over all Thy works, holding command. 

Maker of all ye truly call the Strong and Sovereign 

One, 
Yet have ye read that verse •which saith -whereto His 

work was done? 
Open "the Book," and, heedful, look what weighty 

words are given 
(The Chapter of Al-Akh^f) concerning Earth and 

Heaven. 

"The Heavens and earth," Al-AkhSf saith, "and 

whatso is between, 
Think ye that We made these to be, and then — not to 

have been? 
Think ye We fashioned them in jest, without their 

times, and plan, 
And purpose? Nay! accurst are they who judge of 

God by man."* 



Higher, Wiser, than we know, 
Let not Ihy creatures judge Ihee so. 



* Cf. Koran, xlvi. chapter " Of Al-Akh&f." 



80 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



35 



He is the " Pardoner,'' and Ids Scripture hath— 
*' Paradise is for tliem that check their wrath, 
And pardon sins; so Allah doth with souls; 
He loveth best him loho himself controls." * 

Know ye of Hassan's slave? Hassan the son 

Of Ali. In the camp at Ras-al-hadd 

He made a banquet uuto sheikhs and lords, 

Rich dressed and joyous; and a slave bore round, 

Smoking with new-cooked pillaw, Badhan's dish 

Carved from rock-crystal, with the feet in gold, 

And garnets round the rim ; but the boy slipped 

Against the tent-rope, and the precious dish 

Broke into shards of beauty on the board, 

Scalding the son of Ali. One guest cried, 

"Dog! wert thou mine, for this thing thou shouldst 

howl!" 
Another, " Wretch! thou meritest to die." 
And yet another, ' ' Hassan ! give me leave 
To smite away this swine's head with my sword!" 
Even Hassan's self was moved; but the boy fell 
Face to the earth and cried, "My lord! 'tis writ, 
'Paradise is for them that check tJieir wrafJi.' " 
" 'Tis writ so," Hassan said; " I am not wroth." 
" My lord!" the boy sobbed on, "also 'tis writ, 
' Pardon the trespasser.' " Hassan replied, 

* Cf . Koran, iii. chapter " Of Imran's Family." 



HASSAIi'S SLAVE. 81 

*"Tis written — I remember — I forgive." 

" Now is the blessing of the Most High God 

On thee, dear master!" cried the happy slave, 

'•' For He — 'tis writ — ' loves the heneficenV" 

"Yea! I remember, and I thank thee, slave," 

Quoth Hassan; — " better is one noble verse 

Fetched from ' the Book,' than gold and crystal brought 

From Yaman's hills. Lords 1 he hath marred the dish, 

But mended fault with wisdom. See, my slave ! 

I give thee freedom, and this purse to buy 

The robe and turban of a Muslim freed." 



Al-Gliafir ! pardon us, as we 
forgive a brotlwr's injury. 



82 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



86 



** Grateful" — AsTi-Shdkir — is He; praise Him so 
Who thanketh men for that He did bestow. 

So mucli hast thou of thy hoard 
As thou gavest to thy Lord; 
Only this will bring thee in 
Usance rich and free from sin: 
Send thy silver on before, 
Lending to His sick and poor. 
Every dirhem dropped in alms 
Touches Allah's open palms, 
Ere it fall into the hands 
Of thy brother. Allah stands 
Begging of thee, when thy brother 
Asketh help. Ah! if another 
Proffered thee, for meat and drink, 
Food upon Al-K^uthar's brink,* 
Shining Kauthar which doth flow 
Sweet as honey, cool as snow, 
White as milk, and smooth as cream, 
Underneath its banks, which gleam — 
Green and golden chrysolite, 
In the Gardens of delight, 
Whence who drinks never again 
Tasteth sorrow, age, or pain — 

* Cf. Kor§,n, cviii. 



SURA '* OF AL-EAUTEAR.'* 

Who would not make merchandise, 
Buying bliss in Paradise, 
Laying up his treasure where 
Stores are safe and profits clear? 
But ye lend at lower cost, 
Whilst Ash-ShSkir offers most, 
Good returning seven times seven, 
Paying gifts of earth with Heaven. 



83 



Allah, Who dost reward so well, 
What maketh man in sin to dwett? 



84 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 



37 



Al-'Halif believers, magnify 

By this great name, Allah, our Lord " Most High.'* 

He willed, and Heaven's blue arch vaulted the air ; 

"Be!" said He — Earth!* and the round earth was 
made; 
See! at the hour of late and early prayer 

The very shadows worship Him, low laid. 

Most High ! the lengthening shadows teach 
Morning and evening prayer to each. 



* Cf. Kor&n, xvi. chapter " Of the Bee." 



THE SEVEN HEAVENS, 85 



38 



Praise Him, Al-KaUr, seated on "the Throne,'* 
The "Very Great" the High-exalted One. 

Seven Heavens Allah made: 
First "Paradise," the Jennat-al- Fir dans ; 

The next, Al Huld, "Gate of Eternitj^;" 
The third, JDar-as-Saldm, the * * Peaceful House ;'* 

The fourth, Dar-al-Eurdr, ' ' Felicity ;" 
The fifth was Aidenn, " Home of Golden Light;" 

The sixth, Al Na'him, " Garden of Delight;" 
The seventh, Al-Hilliyun, "Footstool of the Throne;" 
And, each and every one. 
Sphere above sphere, and treasure over treasure, 
The great decree of God made for reward and pleasure. 

Saith the Perspicuous Book:* 

"Look up to Heaven! look! 

Dost thou see flaw or fault 

In that vast vault, 
Spangled with silvery lamps of night, 
Or gilded with glad light 
Of sunrise, or of sunset, or warm noon? 

Rounded He well the moon? 
Kindled He wisely the red Lord of Day? 

Look twice! look thrice, and say!" 

* Cf. Koran, Ixvii, chapter " Of the Kingdom." 



86 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Thy weak gaze fails; 
Eyesight is drowned in yon abyss of blue; 
Ye see the glory, but ye see not through: 

God's greatness veils 
Its greatness by its greatness — all that wonder 
Lieth the lowest of those Heavens under, 

Beyond which Angels view 
Allah, and Allah's mighty works, asunder; 
The thronged clouds whisper of it when they thunder. 



Allah Kahir ! in silence we 
Meditate on Thy majesty. 



SUHA " OF THE NIGHT STAE." 



87 



39 



Al-Hdfiz ! ''Preserver!" succor us 
Who humbly trustful, cry unto Thee thus. 

By the Sky and the Night star! 
By Al-TSrek the white star! 

Shining clear — 
When darkness covers man and beast — 

To proclaim dawn near, 
And the gold sun hastening from the east, 
We have set a guard upon you, every one; 

Be ye not afraid 1 
Of seed from loins, and milk from bosom-bone, 

Ye were made : 
We are able to remake you, when ye die, 

For cold death 
Cometh forth from Us, as warm life cometh 

And gift of breath. 
Do the darkness and the terror plot against you? 

We also plan ; 
They that love you are stronger than your haters. 

Trust God, O man ! * 



" Ya Hdfiz f " on your doors ye grave , 
In your hearts, too, these scriptures have ! 

* Cf. Koran Ixxxvi. chapter " Of the Night Star," 



B8 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



40 

Praise AUMukit, the great " Maintainer /" He 
Made us, and makes our sustenance to be. 

The chapter of the "Inevitable:"* We gave 
The life ye live; why doubt ye We can save 

What once hath been from wasting — if We will — 
When, like dry corn, man lieth in his grave? 

Did ye cause seed to grow, or was it We, — 
Wherefrom spring all the many lives that be? 

Who stirred the pulse which couples man and maid, 
And in the fruit hid that which forms the tree? 

Ye go afield to scatter grain, and then 

Sleep, while We change it into bread for men; 

Have ye bethought why seed should shoot, not sand, 
Granite, or gravel? Why the gentle rain 

Falleth so clean and sweet from out Our sky, 
Which might be salt and black and bitter? Why 

The soft clouds gather it from off the seas 
To spread it o'er the pastures by and by ? 

The flame ye strike rubbing Afar and Markh,f 
Have ye considered that strange yellow spark? 

Did ye conceive such marvel, or did We 
Grant it, to warm and cheer men in the dark? 



* Koran, Ivi. 

t The woods used by the ancient Arabs to kindle fire. 



SURA " OF THE INEVITABLE:' 

Not now, but when the soul comes to the neck. 
The meaning of those mercies each shall reck. 
Then are We nearest, though ye see it not ; 
Can ye that summoned spirit order back? 



Nay, Al-Mukit ! in life and death 
Thine are we : Truth Thy Scripture saith. 



90 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



41 



Taud Him as " Reckoner,^* casting up tTC account^ 
And makiny little merits largely mount. 

Give more than thou takest : 

If one shall salute thee, 

Saying, *' Peace be upon thee," 
The salute which thou makest, 

Speak it friendlier still, 

As beseemeth goodwill; 
Saying, "Peace, too, and love 
From Allah above 

Be with thee :" — for heard 

Is each brotherly word; 
And it shall not be lost 
That thou gavest him most. * 



Ya Hasib / praise to Thee ; for all 
Our good deeds needs must he so small. 



* Cf. Koran, iv. chapter " Of Women." 



H^n iMin 



THE ROSE-QARDEN. 91 



42 



Al- Jamil ! " the Benign y" a7i, name most dear. 
Which bids us love and worship without fear. 

Too much ye tremble, too much fear to feel 
That yearning love which Allah's laws reveal ; 
Too oft forget — your troubled journey through — 
He who is Power, is Grace and Beauty too, 
And Clemency, and Pity, and Pure Rest, 
The Highest and the Uttermost and Best; 
Sweeter than honey, and more dear to see 
Than any loveliness on land or sea 
By bard or lover praised, or famed in story; 
For these were shadows of His perfect glory; 
Which is not told, because, who sees God near 
Loseth the speech to speak, in loving fear, 
So joyous is he, so astonished. 

Hath there come to ye what the Dervish said 
A'; Kaisareya, in the marble shrine, 
"Who woke from vision of the love divine? 
" I have seen Allah!" quoth he — all aglow 
With splendor of the dream which filled him so — 
"Yeal I have paced the Garden of Delight, 
And heard and known!" 

** Impart to us thy light," 
His fellows cried. 

He paused, and smiled, and spake: 
"Fain would I say it, brothers, for your sake 



93 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

For I have wandered in a sphere so bright, 

Have heard such things, and witnessed such a sight, 

That now I Icnow whither all nature turns. 

And what the love celestial is which burns, 

At the great heart of all the world, ensuring 

That griefs shall pass and joy be all enduring. 

Yet ask me not! I am as one who came 

Where, among roses, one bush, all aflame 

By fragrant crimson blossoms, charged the air 

With loveliness and perfume past compare. 

Then had I thought to load my skirt with roses. 

That ye might judge what wealth that land discloses; 

And filled my robe, plucking the peerless blooms; 

But ah! the scent so rich, so heavenly, comes; 

So were my senses melted into bliss 

With the intoxicating breath of this; 

I let the border of my mantle fall — 

The roses slipped! I bring ye none at all." 



Brothers ! with other eyes must we 
Behold the Roses on that jCree. 



SURA ''OF CLEAVING ASU^'DEB." 93 



43 



Allah- al-Karim / Bountiful Lord ! we bless 
By this good name Thy loving kindnesses. 

O man! what hath beguiled, 

That thou shouldst stray 

From the plain easy way 
Of Allah's service, being Allah's child? 

When thou w^ert not, 

And when thou wast a clot, 
He did foresee thee, and did fashion thee 

From heel to nape, 

Giving thee this fair shape, 
Composing thee in wondrous symmetry — 
More than thy mother — in the form thou wearest; 
Nearer to thee than what on earth is nearest. 

Kinder than kin is He — 

Wilt thou forgetful be? * 



Ya Karim / since Thou lovest thus. 
Quicken, ah, quicken love in us. 



* Cf, Koran, Ixxxii. chapter " Of Cleaving Asunder." 



94 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



I 



44 



AllaJi-al-RaMb ! praise ye ''the Waicliful One,** 
Who noteth what men do and leave undone. 

The book of the wicked is in Sijjin, 

A close-writ book : 
A book to be unfolded on tbe Awful Day, 

The day whereto men would not look. 

What Sijjin is 
Who shall make thee know? 
The Black Gaol. Under Jehannum, 
Under Lathd, the " red glow," 
Under Hutamah, " the fires which split;" 
Beneath Sa'hir, the " Yellow Hell," 
And scorching Sakar, lieth it, 
And JaMm, where devils dwell: 
Lower from light and bliss 
Than Hdwiyeh, " the abyss:" 
Sijjin is this. 

But the books of the righteous are in Hilliytin, 

And what shall make thee see 
The glory of that region, nigh to God, 

Where those records be? 
Joy shall make their portion : they shall lie 

With the light of delight upon their faces, 
On soft seats reclining 

In peaceful places; 



THE BOOKS OF GOOD AND EVIL. 

DrinkiDg wine, pure wine, sealed wine, 

Whose seal is musk and rose; 
Allayed by the crystal waves that shine 

In Tasmln, which flows 
From the golden throne of God:— at its brink 

Angels drink.* 



95 



" WatcTierT grant our names may he 
In that Book lying near to Thee. 




96 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



45 



Allah-al-Mujih, Wlio Uddest men to pray^ 
And hearest prayer; thus praise we Thee alway. 

Our Lord the Prophet (peace to him!) doth write— 
Sura the seventeenth, intituled " Night:" — 
" Pray at the noon, pray at the sinking sun, 
In night-time pray; but most when night is done, 
For daybreak's prayer is surely borne on high 
By Angels changing guard within the sky." 
And in another verse, " Dawn's prayer is more 
Than the wide world with all its treasured store." 

Therefore the Faithful, when the growing light. 
Gives to discern a black hair from a white. 
Haste to the mosque, and, bending Mecca-way, 
Recite Al-Fdtihah while 'tis scarce yet day: 
Praise he to Allah, Lord of all that live. 
Merciful King and Judge, to Thee we give 
Worship and honor ! Succor us and guide 
Where those ham walked who rest Thy Throne beside; 
The icay of peace, the way of truthful speech. 
The way of righteousness. So we beseech." 
He who saith this, before the east is red, 
A hundred pra3'ers of Azan hath he said. 

Hear now this story of it — told, I ween, 
For your soul's comfort by Jelalu-'d-deea 



ALI AND THE JEW. 97 

In the great pages of the Mesnevi ; 

For therein, plain and certain, shall ye see 

How precious is the prayer at break of day 

In Allah's ears, and in His sight alway 

How sweet are reverence and gentleness 

Done to His creatures: — "Ali" (whom I bless!), 

The son of Abu Talib — he, surnamed 

"Lion of God," in many battles famed. 

The cousin of our Lord the Prophet (grace 

Be his!), uprose betimes one morn, to pace, 

As he was wont, unto the mosque, wherein 

Our Lord (bliss live with him!) watched to begin 

Al-FdWiah. Darkling was the sky, and strait 

The lane between the city and mosque-gate, 

By rough stones broken and deep pools of rain ; 

And therethrough toilfull)^, with steps of pain, 

Leaning upon his staff an old Jew went 

To synagogue, on pious errand bent; 

For those be " People of the Book," and some 

Are chos:eu of Allah's will who have not come 

Unto full light of knowledge; therefore, he, 

Ali, the Caliph of proud daj'^s to be — 

Knowing this good old man, and why he stirred 

Thus early, ere the morning mills were heard — 

Out of his nobleness and grace of soul 

Would not thrust past, though the Jew blocked the 

whole 
Breadth of the lane, slow hobbling. So they went, 
That ancient first; and, in soft discontent. 
After him Ali, noting how the sun 
Flared near, and fearing prayer might be begun; 
Yet no command upraising, no harsh cry 
To stand aside, because the dignity 



98 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Of silver hairs is much, and morning praise 
Was precious to the Jew, too. Thus their ways 
Wended the pair; great Ali, sad and slow, 
Following the graybeard, while the east, a-glow, 
Blazed with bright spears of gold athwart the blue, 
And the Muezzin's call came, " Illahu! 
Allah-il- Allah /" 

In the mosque, our Lord 
(On whom be peace) stood by the mimbar-board, 
In act to bow and Fdtihali forth to say. 
But, while his lips moved, some strong hand did lay 
Over his mouth a palm invisible, 
So that no voice on the assembly fell. 
Ta ! Babbi 'lalamina — thrice he tried 
To read, and thrice the sound of reading died, 
Stayed by this unseen touch. Thereat amazed, 
Our Lord Muhammad turned, arose, and gazed, 
And saw — alone of all within the shrine — 
A splendid Presence, with large eyes divine 
Beaming, and golden pinions folded down, 
Their speed still tokened by the fluttered gown: 
Gabriel he knew, the Spirit who doth stand 
Chief of the Sons of Heav'n, at God's right hand; 
"Gabriel! why stay'st thou me?" the Prophet said, 
" Since at this hour the Fdtihah should be read." 
But the bright Presence, smiling, pointed where 
Ali towards the outer gate drew near, 
Upon the threshold shaking off his shoes, 
And giving "alms of entry," as men use. 
"Yea!" spake th' Archangel, "sacred is the sound 
Of morning praise, and worth the world's great round, 
Though earth were pearl and silver; therefore I 
Stayed thee, Muhammad, in the act to cry. 



ALI AND THE JEW. 

Lest Ali, tarrying in the lane, should miss, 
For his good deed, its blessing and its bliss. " 
Thereat the Archangel vanished, and our Lord 
Read Fdtihah forth beneath the mimbar-board. 



Us, too, Mvjib ! in Tiearing keep; 
Better is prayer than food or sleep/ 



K ^U. 



100 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



46. 

'* All- Comprehending One," Al-Wasi'hf we 
By this name also praise and honor Thee. 

Turn, wheresoe'er ye be, to Mecca's stone, 
For this is holy, and your Lord doth hear; 

Thitherwards turn! — so hath all Islam one 
Heart to its thought and harbor of its prayer. 

But Allah's house eastwards and westwards lies, 
Northwards and southwards. He is everywhere: 

Whithersoever way ye bend your eyes, 
Face to face are ye with Al-Wasi'h there. 

It is not righteousness to kneel aright 
Fronting the Kihlah; but to rightly hold 

Of God, and of His judgment, and the bright 
Bands of His Angels ; and what truth is told 

In the sure Kor^n by God's holy Prophet ; 

To succor orphans, strangers, suppliants, kin; 
Your gold and worldly treasure — to give of it 

Ransom for captives, alms which mercy win : 

To keep your covenants when ye covenant; 

Your woes and sufferings patiently to bear, 
Being the will of God : — this is to front 

Straight for the Eiblah : this is faith and fear.* 



Abounding Lord! in every place 
Is built the Mecca of Thy grace. 



* Cf. Kor&n, ii. chapter "Of the Cow.' 



THE ANGELS OF TEE SCALES. 101 



47 



Al- Hakim! Judge of allihe judges ! show 
Mercy to us and make us justice know. 

Only one Judge is just, for only One 
Knoweth the hearts of men ; and hearts alone 
Are guilty or are guiltless. That which lied 
Was not the tongue — he is a red dog tied. 

And that which slew was not the hand ye saw 
Grasping the knife — she is a slave whose law 
The master gives, seated within the tent; 
The hand was handle to the instrument; 

The dark heart murdered. O believers! leave 
Judgment to Heav'n — except ye do receive 
Office and order to accomplish this; 
Then honorable, and terrible, it is. 

The Prophet said: * " At the great day of doom 
Such fear on the most upright judge shall come 
That he shall moan, ' Ah! would to God that I 
Had stood for trial, and not sate to try!' " 

He said: "The Angels of the Scales will bring 
Just and unjust who judged before Heav'n's King, 
Grasping them by the neck; and, if it be. 
One hath adjudged his fellows wickedly, 

* Cf . the Mishkat-al-Masabih. 



102 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 

" He shall be hurled to hell so vast a height 
'Tis forty years' fierce journey ere he light; 
But if one righteously hath borne the rod. 
The Angels kiss those lips which spake for God.' 



Lord! make us just, that we may be 
A little justijied with Thee, 



TASMIN AND SALSABIL. 103 



48 



" The Loving" — Al-Wadoodf ah, title dear, 
Whei'eby Thy children praise Thee, free of fear. 

Sweet seem your wedded days ; and dear and tender 
Your children's talk ; brave 'tis to hear the tramp 

Of pastured horses ; and to see the splendor 
Of gold and silver plunder; and to camp 

With goats and camels by the bubbling fountain; 

And to drink fragrance from the desert wind, 
And to sit silent on the mighty mountain; 

And all the ]oy& which make life bright and kind. 

But ye have heard of streams more brightly flowing 
Than those whereby ye wander; of a life 

Glorious and glad and pure beyond earth's knowing; 
Love without loss, and wealth without the strife. 

Lo! we have told you of the golden Garden 
Kept for the Faithful, where the soil is still 

Wheat-flour and musk and camphire, and fruits harden 
To what delicious savor each man will 

Upon the Tooba tree; which bends its cluster 
To him that doth desire, bearing all meat; 

And of the sparkling fountains which out-lustre 
Diamonds and emeralds, running clear and sweet, 



104 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Tasmin aDcl SalsabJl, whose lucent waters 

Are rich, delicious, undistracting wine; 
And of the Hoiiris, pleasure's perfect daughters, 

Yirgins of Paradise, whose black eyes shine 

Soul-deep with love and languor, having tresses 
Night-dark, with scents of the gold-blooming date 

And scarlet roses ; lavishing caresses 
That satisfy, but never satiate ; 

Whose looks refrain from any save their lover, 
Whose peerless limbs and bosoms' ivory swell 

Are like the ostrich egg which feathers cover 
From stain and dust, so white and rounded well: 

Dwelling in marvellous pavilions, builded 

Of hollow pearls, wherethrough a great light shines- 
Cooled by soft breezes and by glad suns gilded — 
On the green pillows where the Blest reclines, 

A rich reward it shall be, a full payment 
For life's brief trials and sad virtue's stress. 

When friends with friends, clad all in festal raiment. 
Share in deep Heaven the Angels' happiness; 

Nay, and full payment, though ye give those pleasures 
Which make life dear, to fight and die for faith, 

Keudering to God your wives and flocks and treasures, 
That He may pay you tenfold after death. 

For, if the bliss of Paradise, transcending 
Delights of earth, should win ye to be bold, 

Yet know, this glory hath its crown and ending 
In Allah's grace, which is the Joy untold, 



TASMIN AND SALSABIL 105 

The Utmost Bliss. Beyond the Happy River 
The justified shall see God's face in Heaven, 

Live in His sweet goodwill,* and taste for ever 
Al-Wadood'sf love, unto His children given. 



Tea! for high Heaven's felicity 
Is hut the shadow, Lord, of Thee. 



*Cf. Koran, ix. chapter " Of Eepentance." 

t Cf. Koran, Ixxxv, chapter " Of Zodiacal Signs." 



■I 



106 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 



49 
Al-Majidf Glorious Lord upon the Throne* 
With this great name we praise Tliee, Sovereign One 1 

By the Heavens, walled with silver signs and towerd! 

By the Promised Dayl 
By the Witness and the Witnessed ; and the Way 
Of righteousness ! — this glorious Book of ours 

Lieth treasured up in Heaven, 

As 'twas given 
On the mighty " Night of Powers;" 

And its easy bond is this, 

The which to keep is bliss; 

• * None save Glorious Allah serve; 

Never from His precepts swerve; 

Honor teacher, father, mother; 

Unto him who is thy brother, 

Unto kindred, friends also. 

Orphans, suppliants, sad ones, show 

GentlcTiess and help; to each 

Speak with kind and courteous speech. 

Give in alms that thou may'st spare. 

And he constant in thy prayer.'^ * 



Allah al-Majid ! Thy favor grant, 
That we may keep this covenant. 



* Cf. Koran, Ixxxv. chapter " Of Celestial Signs.,' 
+ Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Heifer." 



IBLIS AND ABBAHAM. 107 



50 



Al-BdMth ! Opener of the Tombs ! we praise 
Thy power, which unto life the dead can raise. 

Iblis spake to Abraham : 

" What is this thy Lord hath told thee? 

Shall the Resurrection be 

When the mouldering clods enfold thee? 

Nay ! and if a man might rise. 

Buried whole, in heedful wise. 

See yon carcase, tempest-beaten — 

Part the wandering fox hath eaten, 

Part by fishes hath been torn, 

Part the sea-fowl hence have borne; 

Never back those fragments can 

Come to him who was a man." 

Abraham spake unto his Lord : * 
" Show me how is wrought this wonder; 
Can Thy resurrection be 
When a man's dust lies asunder?" 

" Art thou therefore not believing," 
Allah said, " because deceiving 
Iblis fills with lies thy heart?" 
"Na}^" he answered, "but impart 
Knowledge, Mightiest One and Bestl 
That my heart may be at rest." 

* Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Heifer." 



108 PEARLS OF TUE FAITH. 

God said: " Take, thou doubting one! 
Four birds frorfi among My creatures; 
Sever each bird's head, and so 
Mingle feathers, forms, and features, 
That the fragments shall not be 
Knowable to such as ye. 
Into four divide the mass, 
Then upon the mountains pass, 
On four peaks a portion lay, 
And, returning homeward, say, 
• By the name and power of God— » 
Who hath made men of the clod. 
And hath said the dead shall rise — 
Birds! fly hither in such wise 
As ye lived.' And they shall come, 
Perfect, whole, and living, home." 

Thereupon Al-Khalil took 
A raven, eagle, dove, and cock; 
From their bodies shore the heads. 
Cut the four fowl into shreds, 
Mingled all their mass together, 
Blood and bone, and flesh and feather; 
Then dividing this four-wise, 
Laid it where four peaks did rise 
Two to south and two to north. 
Then the dove's head held he forth, 
Crying, "Come!" Lo! at the word 
Cooed at his feet the slaughtered bird. 
"Come, raven!" spake he: as he spoke, 
On glossy wing, with eager croak. 
Flew round the raven. Then he said, 
"Return! thou cock:" the cock obeyed. 



IBLIS AND ABRAHAM. 109 

Lastly the eagle summoned he, 
Which circling came, on pinions free, 
Restored and soaring to the sky. 
With perfect plumes and undimmed eye. 

So in the Holy Book 'tis writ 
How Abraham's heart at rest was set. 



Why sTiould we fear to yield our breath. 
To TJiee That art the Lord of Death? 



no PEARLS OF TEE FAITH, 



51 

Ash-Shahid / God is * ' Witness /" and He took, 
Witness of its, ye People of the Book ! 

The spirits of the Prophets came at morn 

To Sinai, summoned by their Lord's command, 

Singers and seers ; — those born and those unborn, 
The chosen souls of men, a solemn baud. 

The noble army ranged, in viewless might. 
Around that mountain peak which pierces heaven; 

Greater and lesser teachers, sons of light; 

Their number was ten thousand score and seven. 

Then Allah took a covenant with His own. 
Saying, "My wisdom and My word receive; 

Speak of Me unto men, known or unknown, ^ 
Heard or unheard; bid such as will, believe." 

*• And there shall come apostles, guiding ye, 
Jesus, Muhammad: follow them and aid! 

Are you resolved, and will you war for Me?" 
" We are resolved, O Lord of all!" they said. 

" Bear witness then!" spake Allah, "souls most dear, 
I am your Lord and ye heralds of Mine." 

Thenceforward through all lands His Prophets bear 
The message of the mystery divine.* 



Allah-ash- ShaJdd ! make us to hear 
The errand that Thy children hear. 



* Cf. Koran, iii. chapter "Of Imran's Family." 



SURA ''OF THE COW." Ill 



53 



Thou, the Truth ! when so Thy name we call, 
All's said that need be said, sith TJiou art all. 

Truth and all truth He is! serve Him alone 
"Who hath none other by nor near His Throne; 
Unto all sins is Allah's pardon given 
Except what giveth Him partners in Heaven,* 
Being Apart, Exalted, Truth and Light, 
Only and "wholly — hold thou this aright ! 



Ta HaTck / true God / newr with Thee 
Can other or can equal be. 

* Cf. Koran, iv. chapter " 0/ '^omen." 



113 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



53 



Alai kul shay Wakil ! * Ouardian of all ! 
By this name trustfully on Thee we call. 

Verily God is guard! 
What other hath created you, and made 
Men gone before, and earth's foundations laid 

So broad and hard, 
To be your dwelling-place; 
And Heaven's star-jewelled face 
Arched for your roof-top; and the tender rain 
Sent down at the due season, whereby grain 

Groweth, and clustered gold 

Of dates, and grapes that hold 
The purple and the amber honey -juice? 

These for your use 

Your Lord and "Agent" gave. 
Make Him no peers, nor other guardian have. 



Allah-al- Wakil ! Thy wards are we; 
Have us in Thy fidelity. 



* Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Heifer." 



THE FLY AND THE FALSE GODS. 113 



54 



Thou mighty One ! Wfwse mercy hath upraised 
Mankind to praise Thee, be Thou hereby praised! 

Consider them that serve 
The false gods, how they lay in golden dishes 
Honey and fruits and fishes 
Before their idols ; and the green fly comes, 
Shoots through the guarded gates, and hums 
Scorn of their offering, stealing what she will; 
And none of these great gods the thief can kill, 

So swift she is and small: 

And none of all 
Can make one little fly, for all their state; 
So feeble are they, and so falsely great.* 
Ye people of the stocks and stones! herein 
A parable is set against your sin. 
But Allah high doth rule 
Whose hand made all things, being " Powerful. 



AlKawi ! King of power and might! 
Be Thy hand o'er us day and night ! 

* Cf. Koran, xxii. chapter " Of Believers." 



114 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



55 



AUah-al-Mateen / " Firm^' is our Lord and fast ; 
Praise Him Who doth uphold Thee to the last. 

By the Angels ranged in ranks, 

And the Rain-cloud Drivers, 
And the Reciters of the word, " Thy God is one," 

Firm is our Lord ! 

Of the heavens the tent-pole, 

Al- Watad ; and of earth 

Hahl-al-Mateen, the sure Cord:* 

By this thy soul 

Holdeth, from birth: 
Fast is the cord, and sure; 
They only shall endure 

Wlio dwell beneath the mighty tent upholden 
By Al-Watad,\ the Golden. 



Stay of Thy ser'Gants, Al-Mateen! 
In Thee is strong deliverance seen. 



* Cf. Koran, iii. chapter " Of the Family of Imran." 
t Cf. Koran, Ixxviii, chapter " Of the Information." 



ABEAHAM'S BREAD. 115 



56 



Al- Wall ! Nearest of all friends, and Best, 
So praise your Lord, Whose help is mightiest. 

Close is He always to His faithful ones, 

But closer dwelt they in the times of old. 

Hath it come to ye what Al-BaidhSwi . 

Presenteth of the days of Abraham, 

"Whom Allah called His " Friend," and like a friend 

Softly entreated,* stooping out of Heaven 

To help and comfort him so dear to God ? 

Ofttimes the Angels of his Lord would light 

Familiarly, with folded wings, before 

The curtain of his tent, conversing there; 

Ofttimes, on thorny flats of wilderness, 

Or in the parched pass, or the echoing cave, 

The very voice of God would thrill his ears; 

And he might answer, as a man with man, 

Hearing and speaking things unspeakable. 

"Wherefore, no marvel that he gave his son 

At Allah's bidding, and had back his son — 

Patient and safe — when the wild goat cime down 

And hung amid the nebbuk by his horns, 

On Thabir, nigh to Mecca, in the vale 

Of Mina;f and the knife of Abraham 

Reddened with unwept blood. 

* Cf. Koran, iv. chapter " Of Women." 

t Cf. Koran, xxxvii. chapter " Of the Ranged." 



116 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

There had fall'n drought 
Upon the land, and all the mouths he fed 
Hungered for meal ; therefore Al-Khalil sent 
Messengers unto Egypt — to a lord 
Wealthy and favorable, having store 
Of grain and cattle by the banks of Nile. 
" Give unto Abraham," the message said, 
' ' A little part for gold, yet more for love— 
(As he had given, if the strait were thine) 
Meal of the millet, lentil, wheat, and bean. 
That he and his may live ; for drought hath comer 
Upon our fields and pastures, and we pine." 
Spake the Egyptian lord, " Lo! now ye ask 
O'ermuch of me for friendliness, and more 
Than gold can buy, since dearth hath also come 
Over our fields, and nothing is to spare. 
Yet had it been to succor Abraham, 
And them that dwell beneath his tent, the half 
Of all we hold had filled your empty sacks. 
But he will feed people we wot not of, 
Poor folk, and hungry wanderers of the waste: 
The which are nought to us, who have of such, 
If there were surplusage. Therefore return; 
Find food elsewhere 1" 

Then said the messengers 
One to another, " If we shall return 
With empty sacks, our master's name, so great 
For worship in the world, will suffer shame, 
And men will say he asked and was denied." 
Therefore they filled their sacks with white sea-sand 
Gathered by Gaza's wave, and sorrowfully 
Journeyed to Kedar, where lay Abraham, 
To whom full privately they told this thing, 



ABBAHAiWS BREAD. 117 

Saying, "We filled the sacks with snow-white sand. 

Lest thy great name be lessened 'mongst the folk, 

Seeing us empty-handed ; for the man 

Denied thee corn; since thou wouldst give, quoth he, 

To poor folk and to wanderers of the waste. 

And there are hungry mouths enough by Nile." 

Then was the heart of Abraham sore, because 
The people of his tribe drew round to share 
The good food brought, and all the desert trooped 
With large-eyed mothers and their pining babes, 
Certain of succor if the sheikh could help. 
So did the spirit of Al-Khalil sink 
That into swoon he fell, and lay as one 
Who hath not life. But Sarai, his wife — 
That knew not — bade her maidens bring a sack, 
Open its mouth, and knead some meal for cakes. 
And when the sack was opened, there showed flour. 
Fine, three times bolted, whiter than sea-sand; 
Which in the trough they kneaded, rolling cakes, 
And baking them over the crackling thorns; 
So that the savor spread throughout the camp 
Of new bread smoking, and the people drew 
Closer and thicker, as ye see the herds 
Throng — horn, and wool, and hoof — at watering-time, 
When after fiery leagues, the wells are reached. 

But Abraham, awaking, smelled the bread: 
"Whence," spake he unto Sarai, " hast thou meal, 
Wife of my bosom? for the smell of bread 
Riseth, and lo! I see the cakes are baked." 
" By God! Who is the only One," she said, 
"Whence should it come save from thy friend who 

sent, 
The lord of Egypt?" "Nay!" quoth Abraham. 



118 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

And fell upon his face, low-worshipping, 

*' But this hath come from the dear mighty hands 

Of Allah— of the Lord of Egypt's lords— 

My ' Friend,' and King, and Helper: now my folk 

Shall live and die not. Glory be to God!" 



He that hath Allah for a friend. 
To want and woe hath put the end. 



-i 



saam 



THE GARDEJS^ AND THE ROCK. 119 



57 



Rich to reward your Lord is; oh, do ye 
Praise Al-Hamid, the '' Ecer-praiseicorthy T 

Praise him by alms; and when ye help believers, 
Mar not your gifts with grudging word or will; 

Since ye at Allah's hands are free receivers, 
Freely bestow. A garden on a hill 

Is as a likeness of that fair compassion 
Shown for the sake of God: the heavy rain 

Descendcth, and the dew; and every fashion 
Of good seed springs tenfold in fruit and grain. 

The likeness of the evil heart, bestowing 
That men may praise, is as the thin-clad peak, 

Wherefrom the rain washes all soil for growing, 
Leaving the hard rock naked, fruitless, bleak. 

Say, will ye plant on rock or plenteous garden? 

Grow nought, or grow green vines that shade afford? — 
Forgive your brethren as ye ask for pardon; , 

Give as ye have received, and praise your Lord!* 



AVah-al-Haraid ! what tongue can tell 
Thy goodness, ever-laudable? 

*Cf. Koran ii. chapter " Of the Heifer." 



120 PEARLS OF TEE FAITB. 



58 



Al-Mushi! The ^'Accountants laud Him so 
Who reckoneth up the deeds men do below, 

"in god's name, MEKcrpuL, compassionate!" 



When Earth shall quake -with quaking,* 

And cast her burden forth 

Of corpses ; and live men 

Shall ask — with terror shaking — 

" What aileth Earth?" that day 

She shall reply, and say 

That which her Lord commands : 

And men shall come in bands, 
This side and that side, ranged to show 
Their works, and the account to know. 
And he that wrought of good a red ant's weight 

Shall see it writ : 
And who did evil, aye! as the skin of a date, 

Shall witness it. 



Al-Muhsi[ dread Accountant ! look 
In mercy on our judgment-hook. 



*Cf. Koran, xcix. chapter " Of the Earthquake." 



THE LIGHT OF LIFE. 121 



59 



At-Muhdi ! praise Him by this holy name, 
Who gave to all the spark which lights life's jlame. 

"Whence came ye; and the people of the groves; 

The streams, the seas, the wilderness, the ah'; 
Beasts, fishes, fowl; each with their lives and loves, 

Each glad to be, each in its kind so fair? 

"Begotten of their like?" Yea! but "their like," 
Who did devise that, and the hidden charm 

Whereby — as flame from torch to torch doth strike — 
The light of life shines on, bright, joyous, warm? 

Al-Mubdi hath devised it! His decree 
In the beginning shaped and ordered each, 

Saying to all these things foreseen, " So be!" 
And so they were, obeying Allah's speech. 



Al-Mubdi ! " Great Beginner/" take 
Our praises, for life's pleasant sake ! 



123 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



60 



He made life — and He takes it — hut instead 
Gives more ; praise the Bestorer, Al-Mu'Md! 

He who died at Azan sends 
This to comfort faithful friends. 

Faithful friends ! it lies, I know, 
Pale and white and cold as snow; 
And ye say, " Abdullah's dead!" 
Weeping at my feet and head; 
I can see your falling tears, 
I can hear your cries and prayers ; 
Yet I smile, and whisper this — 
"I am not that thing you kiss; 
Cease your tears, and let it lie ; 
It was mine, it is not I." 

Sweet friends ! what the women lave. 
For its last bed in the grave, 
Is a tent which I am quitting. 
Is a garment no more fitting, 
Is a cage from which , at last, 
Like a hawk ray soul hath passed. 
Love the inmate, not the room; 
The wearer, not the garb; the plume 
Of the falcon, not the bars 
Which kept him from the splendid stars. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAD. 133 

Loving friends ! be wise, and dry 
Straightway every weeping eye ; 
"What ye lift upon the bier 
Is not worth a wistful tear. 
'Tis an empty sea-shell, one 
Out of which the pearl is gone; 
The shell is broken, it lies there; 
The pearl, and all, the soul, is here. 
'Tis an earthen jar whose lid 
Allah sealed, the while it hid 
That treasure of His treasury, 
A mind which loved Him; let it lie! 
Let the shard be earth's once more. 
Since the gold shines in His store! 

Allah Mu'hid, Allah most good! 
Now thy grace is understood; 
Now my heart no longer wonders 
What Al-Barsakh * is, which sunders 
Life from death, and death from Heaven ; 
Nor the "Paradises Seven" 
Which the happy dead inherit; 
Nor those "birds" which bear each spirit 
Towards the Throne, " green birds and white," 
Radiant, glorious, swift their flight! 
Now the long, long darkness ends. 
Yet ye wail, my foolish friends, 
While the man whom ye call "dead" 
In unbroken bliss instead 
Lives, andjoves you; lost, 'tis true 
By any light which shines for you; 
But in light ye cannot see 
Of unfulfilled felicity, 

* Cf. Korftn, xxiii. chapter " Of Believers." 



124 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 

And enlarging Paradise, 
Lives the life that never dies. 

Farewell, friends! Yet not farewell; 
Where I am, ye too shall dwell. 
I am gone before your face 
A heart-beat's time, a gray ant's pace. 
When ye come where I have stepped, 
Ye will marvel why ye wept, 
Ye will know, by true love taught. 
That here is all, and there is naught. 
Weep awhile, if ye are fain. 
Sunshine still must follow rain! 
Only not at death, for death — 
Kow I see — is that first breath 
Which our souls draw when we enter 
Life, that is of all life centre. 

Know ye AHali's law is love, 
Viewed from Allah's Throne above: 
Be ye firm of trust, and come 
Faithful onward to your home! 
" La Allah ilia Allah ! Yea, 
Mu'hid! Restorer! Sovereign!" say! 



He who died at Azan gave 

This to those that made his grave. 



SURA ''OF THE SIGNS." 12o 



61 



Al-Mo*hyi! tJie " QuickenerP' hereby 
Praise Him Whom Angels praise eternally. 

'•And of His signs is this,"* saitli the Great Book; 
" Under the angry sun the slain earth— look!— 
Dries up to dust; dies every growing thing; 
Then blow we breaths of southern wind which bring 
Rain-dropping clouds, and see! the dead earth lives. 
And stirs, and swells; and every herb revives. 
So shall the dead be quickened by His breath. 
This is Al-Mo'hyi's sign," the Great Book saith. 



thou heliex)er ! shall it he 

He saves the green thing, and not thee ? 



*.Cf. Koran, xU. chapter " Of Signs Explained. 



126 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



63 



He quickeneth, hut " He Mleth:" blessed they 
Who may abide in trust that final day! 

Yea! some have found right good to hear the summons 

of their Lord, 
And gone as glad as warriors proud, who take up spear 

and sword 
At sounding of the song of fight; as light of heart as 

those 
For whom the bride unveileth her mouth of pearl and 

rose. 



Jelalu-'d-'Din, Er-Rumi, the saint of Balkh, the son 
Of him surnamed "Flower of the Faith," this was a 

chosen one, 
To whom Death softly showed himself. Heaven's gentle 

call to give ; 
For what word is it bids us die, save that which made 

us live? 



Sick lay he there in Konya; 'twas dawn; the golden 

stream 
Of light, new springing in the east, on liis thin lips did 

gleam— 



•n*>m*^i!PaPQ>B*9api>i!Pini«>^aa>iaBiW"K)BavnnB*<a 



THE ANOEL OF DEATH. 127 

Those lips which spake the praise of God all through 

his holy years. 
And murmured now, with faith and hope unchanged, 

the morning prayers. 

Then one who watched beside his bed, heard at the 
inner gate 

A voice cry, "Aftah! 'open!' from far I come, and 
wait 

To speak my message to Jelal — a message that will 
bring 

Peace and reward to him who lies the Fdtihah mur- 
muring. " 

Thereat the watcher drew the bar which closed the 

chamber-door. 
Wondering and 'feared, for ne'er was heard upon this 

earth before 
Accents so sweet and comforting, nor ever eyes of men 
Saw presence so majestical as his who entered then. 

Entered with gliding footsteps a bright celestial youth, 
Splendid and strange in beauty, past words to speak its 

truth ; 
Midnight is not so dark and deep as was his solemn 

gaze. 
By love and pity lighted, as the night with silvery 

rays. 

"What is thy name?" the watcher asked, " that I may 

tell my lord, 
Thou fair and dreadful messenger 1 whose glance is as 

a sword; 



t" 



i^t a cms KSKa 



138 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Whose face is like the Heaven unveiled ; whose tender 

searching voice 
Maketh the heart cease beating, but bids the soul 

rejoice." 

"AzRAEL ANA," spake the shape, "lam the Spirit of 

Death; 
And I am sent from Allah's throne to stay thy master's 

breath." 
**Come in! come in! thou Bird of God," cried joyously 

Jelal, 
** Fold down thy heavenly plumes and speak! — Isl^ml 

what shall be, shall." 

**Thou blessed one!" the Angel said, "I bring thy 

time of peace ; 
When I have touched thee on the eyes, life's latest ache 

will cease ; 
God bade me come as I am seen amid the heavenly 

host, 
No enemy of awful mould, but he who loveth most." 

"Dear Angel! do what thou art bid," quoth Jel^l, 

smilingly, 
*' God willing, thou shalt find to-day a patient one in 

me; 
Sweet is the cup of bitterness which cometh in such 

wise!" 
With that he bowed his saintly brow, — and Azrael 

kissed his eyes. 



Al-Mwmt ! " Slayer !'' send Him tJius, 
In love, not anger, unto us. 



TEE LIFE BEYOND, 129 



63 



Praise Him, Al-Haiy ! the " Ever-living" King, 
Who to eternal life His own doth bring. 

Saith the Book: " Count not as dead * 
Such as for the Faith have bled; 
Stark and red their bodies lie.. 
But their souls are in the sky, 
Resident with God, who grants 
All for which the spirit pants. 
Joyful are they, resting there 
Free from sorrow, pain, or fear; 
Watching us who, left in life, 
Are not quit, as yet, of strife ; 
But shall soon attain, to share 
Allah's mercies, and declare — 
Side by side with those — that He 
Showeth grace eternally. 
And withholdeth not the pay 
At the ending of the day. 



Ya-Haiy! Thou ever-living Lord, 
Be ours such work and such reward. 



♦ Cf. Koran, iii. chapter " Of Imran's Family, 



4t 

180 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



64 



Magnify Him, Al-Kaiyum; and so call 
The " Self -subsisting'' God Wliojudgeth all. 

When the trumpet shall sound. 

On that day,* 
The wicked, slow-gathering, 

Shall say, 
" Is it long we have lain in our graves? 

For it seems as an hour!" 
Then will Israfil call them to judgment; 

And none shall have power 
To turn aside, this way or that; 

And their voices will sink 
To silence, except for the sounding 

Of a noise, like the noise on the brink 
Of the sea, when its stones 

Are dragged with a clatter and hiss 
Down the shore, in the wild breakers' roar: 

The sound of their woe shall be this! 

Then they wlio denied 

That He liveth Eternal, "Self-made," 
Shall call to tlie mountains to crush them; 

Amazed and affrayed. 



Thou Self-suhsistent, Living Lord! 
Tl\y grace against that day afford. 



Cf. Koran, xx. chapter " Of T. H." 



SURA ''OF DAYBREAK." 181 



65 



Al-Wdjid/ praise Tierebi/ that Wairhful One 
Whose eyes see all things underneath the sun. 

By the Ten holy eves and the Dawns of gold ! * 

By the One and the Manifold ! 

By the deepening of the Darkness of the night! 

(And these be oaths of might :) 

Hast thou considered what with Ad God wrought, 

And whereunto He brought 

Proud Irani of the pillared throne, 

Whose like no other laud did own; 

And Thamud's race, which hewed houses of rocks; 

And Pharaoh, strong for shocks 

As is a tent with tent-pegs driven deep?f 

Lol these their haughty state did keep, 

And multiply their wickedness; 

Till Allah, who long-suffering hath, 

Laid upon them the scourges of His wrath. 

Verily, as a " watch-tower" is your Lord- 
Lo I if ye knew this, would ye shut your hoard 
When the poor cr}- ; devour the weak ; and love 
Your riches more than treasures stored above? 



* Cf. Koran, Ixxxix. chapter " Of Daybreak." 

t The Arabic word Watad bears this signification. 



132 PEABL8 OF THE FAITH. 

Ho ! when the earth's bones crack. 

And, rank on rank, the angels gather. 

And hell's black gates fly back, 

How will each say, ** Would God in life's fair weather, 

I had bethought me of this storm of hell!" 

But then it shall be well 
For thee, thou soul! to-day uncomforted, 
Who know'st that Allah sees; 
And patiently awaitest till He please 
Call thee to comfort, praising Him and praised. 
Joyous thou Shalt be raised 
To Paradise, hearing His angels say, 
" Enter, and be exceeding glad to-day!" 



Al- Wdjid / * * Watcher /" save by grace. 
Who shall attain that happy place f 



1 



L 



ALI'HLAS. IG: 



66 



Wahid/ The "One/" ye faithful, say herein 
Sura Al-rhlds,^ cleansing souls from sin. 

m god's name, mekceful, compassionate!" 

Sat: " He is God alone, 

Eternal on the Throne. 
Of none begotten, and begetting none, 
Who hath not like unto Him any one !" f 



Ya Wahid/ Holy/ Only/ we 
Thus do declare Thy unity. 



* This name is given to the Sura as "clearing oneself" frona 
heresy, 
t Cf . Koran, cxii, chapter " Of Unity." 



134 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



67. 



As-Samad! the ^'Eternal P' hy this name 
Laud Him Who will be, was, and is the same. 

Of Heaven's prodigious years man wottetli nought; 
Ttie "Everlasting!" — hast thou strained thy thought 
Searching that depth, which numbs the seelcing miad 
As too much light the eager gaze doth blind? 
Tlie years of men are measured by the sun. 
And were not, until he his course begun; 
And will not be, when his gold dial dies: 
But God lived while no sun shone in the skies; 
And shall be living when all worlds are dead: 
Yet hereof, though ye see the truth is said, 
Ye take no more the meaning than one takes 
Measure of ocean by the cup that slakes 
His thirst, from rillet running to the sea. 

Behind — before ye, shines Eternity, 
Visible as the vault's fathomless blue, 
Which is so deep the glance goes never through, 
Though nothing stays save depth: so is it seen 
That Allah must be ever, and hath been ; 
Seen, but not comprehended — for man's wit 
Knows this, yet knows — not understanding it. 

Mete ye not Allah's times by man's: life gives 
No measure of the Life Divine which lives 



OZAIR THE JEW. 135 

Unending, uncommenced, having no stay 
Of yesterday, to-morrow, or to-day; 
Being forever one unbroken Now 
"Where past and future come not, 

Heard'st thou how, 
What time fair Zion was given to sword and flame, 
Ozair* the Jew upon his camel came 
Over those hills which ring the sea of Lot,f 
So that one footstep and — ye see her not, 
And then another — and the city comes 
Full upon view with all her milk-wliite domes. 
But the Chaldean now had spoiled the place, 
And desolate and waste was Zion's face, 
Her proud abodes unpeopled, and her ways 
Heaped with charred beams and lintels. Ozair says, 
" O Lord! who promised to Jerusalem 
Comfort and peace; and for her sons, to them 
A glad return, how shall Thy word be kept 
When fire and steel over these roofs have swept, 
And she, that was a queen, lies dead and black, 
A smoking ruin, where the jackals pack? 
A hundred years were not enough to give 
Life back to Zion! Can she ever live?" 

But while he spake, the Angel of the Lord 
Laid on his doubting front a fiery sword, 
And Ozair in that lonely desert spot 
Fell prone, and lay — breathing and moving not — 
One hundred years, while the great world rolled on. 
And Zion rose, and mighty deeds were done. 



* Identiiied by some commentators with Ezra of Scripture 
t The Dead Sea. 



136 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

And when the hundred years were flown, God said, 

*' Awake, Ozair! how long hast tarried, 

Thinkest thou, here?" Ozair replied, " A day, 

Perchance, or half." The awful Voice said, " Nay I 

But look upon thy camel." Of that beast 

Nought save white bones was left : no sign, the least, 

Of flesh, or hair, or hide: the desert grass 

Was matted o'er its shanks, and roots did pass 

From a gnarled fig-tree through the eye-pits twain, 

And in and out its ribs grew the vervain. 

But 'mid the moulderings of its saddle-bags 

And crimson carpet, withered into rags, 

A basket, full of new-picked dates, stood there 

Beside a cruise of water, standing where 

He set them fresh, twice fift}- years ago; 

And all the dates were golden with the glow 

Of yestreen's sunset, and the cruise's rim 

Sparkled with water to the very brim. 

" Ozair!" the awful Voice spake, " look on these! 

He maketh and uamaketh what shall please; 

Saves or destroys, restores or casts away; 

And centuries to Him arc as a day; 

And cities all as easy to revive 

As this thy camel here, which now shall live." 



Thereon the skull and bones together crept 
From tangled weed and sand where they had slept; 
The hide and hair came, and the flesh filled in. 
The eyes returned their hollow pits within, 
The saddle-bags upon its haunches hung, 
The carpet on the saddle-horns was flung. 
The nose-rope from the muzzle fell. The beast 
Rose from its knees, and would have made to feast 



OZAIR THE JEW. 137 

On the green herbage where its bones had lain, 

But that it heard bells of a caravan 

Coming from Kedron, and with glad cr}'' ronrcd. 

Then Ozair looked, and saw — newly restored — 

Zion's fair walls and temples, and a crowd 

Of citizens; and traffic rich and loud 

In her white streets; and knew time should not be 

Reckoned 'gainst Him who hath eternity. 



As-Samad! EverJ/isting One! 

Thy times are good : Thy will be done. 



138 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



68 



Al-Kadar! He is " Promdencer hereby 
The Lord of all tilings living magnify. 

When ye say Kismat, say it wittingly, 
O true believers! under Allah's throne 

Place is not left for those accursed three, 

' ' Destiny, " " Fortune, " ' ' Chance. " Allah alone 

Ruleth His children : Kismat ye shall deem 
Each man's " allotted portion," from of old 

Fixed for his part in the Eternal scheme 

By those great Hands which all the worlds enfold. 

Sayeth " the Book:'-' " There passeth no man's soul 
Except by God's permission, and tlie Speech 

Writ in the scroll determining the whole, 
The times of all men, and the times for each. " * 

Also it sayeth : " If a man shall choose 
This world's reward, to him it shall be given; 

And if a man shall dare his life to lose 
For Paradise, he shall be paid in Heaven. " f 



Ya Kadar ! " Ruler r teach us still, 
Islam, suhmission to Thy will. 



* Cf. Koran, iii. chapter " Of Tmran's Fanailj%" 
t Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Cow." 



iiURA " OF THE MOON," 130 



69 

Al-Muktadir ! the " Powerful T hy this 

Praise we the Word, whence cometh woe and bliss. 

Verily, all things — saith " the Book" * — We made, 
Decreeiug; and Our bidding was one word, 
Quick, as the twinkling of an eye; and all, 
Whatever things men do, stands in the scrolls, 
Where great and small alike are written down; 
And then shall surely come the Hour — the Hourl 
And bitter for the sinners it will be 
When they are dragged, upon their faces, down 
To hell, and taste the touch of fire; but sweet 
Will it be for the pious — these shall sit 
'Mid streams and gardens in the seat of truth, 
Happ3% near Muktadir, the Mighty One. 



Grant xis tliat seat of truth to see. 
Almighty Allah ! nigh to Thee. 



*Cf. Koran, liv. chapter " Of the Moon." 



140 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



70, 71 

Mukaddlm ! Mmcakhir ! hy tlieae names still 
Praise Him Who hatli forewarned, and dotfi fulfil. 

When the trumpet shall be ringing, 
Then the threatened Day hath come, 
Every soul to judgment bringing.* 

Each soul shall itself deliver 
With two Angels, unto doom, 
With a Witness and a Driver. 

He that driveth shall say, "Vainly 
Warned we thee, till this upholding 
Of the veil: now thou seest plainly." 

And the Witness by his side, 
He shall say, a scroll unfolding, 
" This is what I testified." 

Loud shall sound th' award eternal: 
*' Hurl to hell the misbelievers, 
Sinners, liars; — let infernal 

" Torments seize perverse transgressors I" 
Then will speak the wan deceivers. 
Seeking pleas and intercessors. 

But the awful Voice shall thunder, 

" Wrangle not in xVllah's hearing! 
Many a sign and many a wonder 

* Cf. Koran, 1. chapter " Of K." 



SURA " OF Er 141 

"Did forewarn ye of repentance;* 
Time is past for more forbearing; 
Not with Us is change of sentence." 

Heaven shall say to Hell that morning, 
" Art thou full?" Hell shall inquire, 
•• Hast thou others?" blackly yawning 

With choked gullet. But believing 
Souls will see, brought nigh and nigher, 
Paradise's gates, receiving 

Those to whom We promised Heaven. 
"Patient ones! for ever striving 
Towards the Merciful! forgiven 

Are your falterings; enter ye 
Into peace; now is arriving 
The great Day of eternity." 



Forewarrier and FuljUler ! we 
Confess with dread Thine equity. 



* The text is, "I put forth unto you the menace. 



142 FEARia OF TEE FAITH. 



72, 73, 74, 75 

Awwal! AkMr! Thdhir ! Batin! these four 
Be ''Mothers of the Names f * thy Lord adore, 
Speaking such icords as do Him truly call 
Essence and Substance, First and Last in all. 

Sura the seven and fiftieth :f there is writ 
The holy verse which keeps the charge of it; 

The verse which all the names of Allah hol(h,'th 
As in one sky the silver stars all sit. 

The chapter "of the Iron!" — and iliis script 
Set on its forefront, as a hilt is tipped 

With four-fold gold; or as a helm of sieel 
By some far-sparkling crest-gem is equipped. 

" He is the First and Last" — this scripture shows— 
"Outer and Inner, That which doth disclose, 
And That which hides Itself; the Manifest, 
The Secret; and all things and thoughts He knows." 

" In six days earth and heaven He made alone. 
Then reascended the Eternal Throne; 

What entereth earth and issueth thence He sees, 
And what goes up and down the sky is known" 

* These four divine titles are known by the technical appella- 
tion of "The Mothers of the Names," being regarded as funda- 
mental and all-comprehensive. 

t Cf. KorSji, Ivii. chapter " Of Iron," v. 3. 



a 



THE ''MOTHERS OF THE NAMES/' 143 

"To Allah, Who is nigh where'er yQ be, 
And whatsoever deeds ye do doth see; 
His is the kingdom of the earth and heaven; 
All things return to Allah finally." 



Beginning! End! Without! Within! 
We celebrate Tliy praise Jierein. 



s^'^iaemcsi 



l44 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



76 



Laud Him icho governs governors and kings, 
Angels, and Djins, and men, and living things. 

Wot ye of Solomon's signet, graved of a sapphire in 
gold, 
Graved with the great name of God, writ on the blue 
of tlie stone? 
Wisdom and riches and power had he who that treasure 
did hold; 
Safe in the strength of the signet he sate on his ivory 
throne. 

Only King Solomon knew how the dread letters did 
flow, 
What was the breathing of Aleph, where came the 
whispering Tod; 
When he spake the ineffable Word, the sea-winds at 
bidding would blow; 
And the hills yield their iron, and jewels, and gold, 
at the naming of God. 

And out of the void of the sky, and up from the gulfs 
and the capes. 
And forth from the caverns of earth, and down from 
the mountains of flame. 
Flocked Demons wdtli wonderful wings, and Ifreet of 
horrible shape. 
And Djins, with red eyes, made of fire; Divs, Peris, 
and Giants, they came. 



SOLOMON'S SIGNET. 145 

They came, at the call of the name, from KSf, that en- 
girdles the seas; 
From the gloom of the tombs iu the graveyard, from 
ruins on desolate ground; 
From the pool and the marsh and the forest ; from poi- 
sonous blossoms and trees; — 
Monstrous or dwarfish, — constrained, enchained, sub- 
dued, by a sound; 

The sound of the title of Allah, spoken so as the Angels 
speak : — 
Nor spirits uncomely only, and evil; ethereal bands 
Thronged down from their heavenly houses, the Great 
King's service to seek, 
Hearing that nameless Name which all things living 
commands. 

And the fowl and the beasts were fain to gather, each 
creature by each. 
When Solomon summoned hereby, pronouncing the 
mystical words. 
Moreover, their dumb mouths opened, and the fly and 
the bee had a speech; 
And he knew the heart of the lions, and learned the 
mind of the birds. 

Thus is it writ how he marched by Tayf from the Syr- 
ian land 
Through the "Valley of Ants" and heard the crj'- of 
that people of clay, 
•'Hide ye! hide in the earth'! for there passeth Solo- 
mon's band; 
"We are many and wise, but we die, if the king's foot 
Cometh this way." 



146 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

And he laiiglied, but leaped to the ground, and bowrd 
his forehead and said, 
" O Lord God! grant me to learn from the ant the 
Avit to be meek. 
I am many and strong, and a king; yet Thou canst in- 
stantly tread 
The pride of this earth to dust, and the strongest to 
Thee are but weakl" 

Then he viewed the birds, and cried, "I see not 
amongst ye here 
Al-Hudhud, the crested lapwing; what doth she to 
linger away? 
Ill shall it fall for her, who seeketh us water clear. 
If she find not a fountain for prayers before the end- 
ing of day ! 

But they tarried not long until the whirr of her speckled 
wings 
Brought unto Solomon's feet the crested lapwing, 
who spake, 
" 1 have seen a queen that is greater than any save thee, 
O Kingl 
In Seba she reigneth majestic, and glorious kingship 
doth make. 

•' There hath she a marvellous throne of silver, figured 
with gold, 
And the head of the throne is a moon in a jasper and 
emerald curve. 
For her people worship the moon." And Solomon 
answered, "Behold! 
Little bird! if thou liest not, this queen shall the 
Merciful serve!" 



SOLOMON'S 8I0NET. 147 

Thereafter the message went from the servant of God, 
the king: 
"Solomon, son of David, to Balkis, queen of the 
south: 
Peace be to them that follow the Name upon Solomon's 
ring; 
Yield thee, and worship Allah; cursed is the idola- 
trous mouth." 

Then Balkis sent him gifts, of gold bricks, yellow and 

red; 
And beautiful slaves five hundred, with amber and 

musk; and a gem 
Drilled with a crooked hole, which never a goldsmith 

could thread; 
And a topaz of price, unpierced, and a diamond 

diadem. 

He bade the sea-worm eat a way through the unpierced 
stone; 
And the little ant carry a thread through the ruby's 
crooked drill. 
"Doth she offer to Solomon gifts?" quoth he, on his 
ivory throne, 
"We are richer than Seba's kingdom! By Allah!" 
said he, "I will 

"That one of my slaves bring hither Queen Balkis' 
jewelled seat; 
Thereby she shall learn that the glory is ours, and 
the knowledge and might." 
Then Asaf the wise commanded, and a Djin spread 
his pinions fleet, 
And brought the moon-throne thither, and set it be- 
fore them aright. 



148 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 

In a guarded house she had shut it, which a thousand 
bowmen kept, 
But when she was come to Salem, lo! Solomon the 
king 
Sate there on her own gold seat, and Balkis bowed her 
and wept. 
Saying, " I pray thee, teach me the Name on thy 
signet ring ! 

"We have sinned against our souls, following lower 
Lords ; 
Our kingdom we give, and our goods, and our lives, 
and our spirits to thine." 

Such worship had he of old who knew Al- WdlVs words 
Which rule the rulers, and knew the sound of the 
Name Divine.* 



Ta Wall ! Gracious Lord I imparl 
True knowledge of Thee, as Thou art. 



* Cf. Koran, xxvii. chapter *' Of the Ant." 



MOSES AND THE ANOEL, 119 



77 



Praise Him, Al-MutdMU ! WTwse decree 
Is wiser than the wit of man can see. 

'Tis written in the chapter " of the Cave," * 
An Angel of the Lord, a minister, 
Had errands upon earth, and Moses said, 
" Grant me to wend with thee, that I may learn 
God's ways with men." The Angel, answering, said, 
" Thou canst not bear with me; thou wilt not have 
Knowledge to judge; yet if thou folio west me, 
Question me not, whatever I shall do, 
Until I tell thee." 

Then they found a ship 
On the sea-shore, wherefrom the Angel struck 
Her boards and brake them, Moses said, " Wilt drown 
The mariners? this is a strange thing wrought?" 
"Did I not say thou couldst not bear with me?" 
The Angel answered — " be thou silent now!" 

Yet farther, and they met an Arab boy : 
Upon his eyes with mouth invisible 
The Angel breathed; and ail his warm blood froze, 
And, witli a moan, lie sank to earth and died. 
Then Moses said, " Slayest thou the innocent 
Who did no wrong? this is a hard thing seen!" 
"Did I not tell thee," said the Minister, 
Thou wouldst not bear with me? question nie ii<.! !" 

* Cf. KorAn. x'v'iii 



150 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Then came they to a village, where there stood 
A lowly hut; the garden-feuce thereof 
Toppled to fall: the Angel thrust it down, 
A ruin of gray stones, and lime, and tiles, 
Crushing the lentils, melons, saffron, beans. 
The little harvest of the cottage folk. 
'* What hire," asked Moses, "hadst thou for this deed, 
Seeming so evil?" 

Then the Angel said, 
" This is the parting betwixt me and thee; 
Yet will I first make manifest the things 
Thou couldst not bear, not knowing; that my Lord — 
' Exalted above all reproach ' — be praised. 
The ship I broke serveth poor fisher-folk 
Whose livelihood was lost, because there came 
A king that way seizing all boats found whole; 
Now have they peace. Touching the Arab boy 
In two moons he had slain his mother's son, 
Beiug perverse; but now his brother lives, 
Whose life unto his tribe was more, and he 
Dieth blood-guiltless. For the garden wall: 
Two goodly youths dwell there, offspring of one 
That loved his Lord, and underneath the stones 
The father hid a treasure, which is theirs. 
This shall they find, building their ruin up. 
And joy will come upon their house! But thou, 
Journey no more with me, because I do 
Nought of myself, but all by Allah's will. 



Al-MufdJidl ! Maker of men, 
Exalted art Thou past our ken. 



THE ADULTERESS. 151 



78 



Praise Him, Al-Barr ! Whose goodness is so great; 
Who is so loving and compassionate. 

Pity! for He is Pitiful; — a king 

Is likest Allah, not in triumphing 

'Mid enemies o'erthrown, nor seated high 

On stately gold, nor if the echoing sky 

Rings with his name, but when sweet mercy sways 

His words and deeds. The very best man prays 

For Allah's help, since feeble are the best; 

And never shall man reach th' angelic rest 

Save by the vast compassion of Heaven's King. 

Our Prophet once, Ayesha answering, 

Spake this: "I shall not enter that pure place, 

Even I, except through Allah's covering grace." 

Even our Lord (on him be peace!); oh, see! 

If he besought the Sovereign Clemency, 

How must we supplicate ii? Trui\^ thus 

Great need there is of Allah's grace for us, 

And that we live compassionate! 

Hast seen 
The record written of Salah-ud-Deen 
The Sultan? how he met, upon a day, 
In his own city on the public way, 
A woman whom they led to die. The veil 
Was stripped from off her weeping face, and pale 
Her shamed cheeks were, and wild her dark fixed eye, 
And her lips drawn with terror at the cry 



152 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Of the harsh people, and the rugged stones 

Borne in their hands to break her, flesh and bones; 

For the law stood that sinners such as she 

Perish by stoning, and this doom must be; 

So went the wan adulteress to her death. 

High noon it was, and the hot khamseeu's breath 

Blew from the desert sands and parched the town. 

The crows gasped, and the kine went up and down 

With lolling tougues; the camels moaned; a crowd 

Pressed with their pitchers, wrangling high and loud, 

About the tank; and one dog by a well. 

Nigh dead with thirst, lay where he yelped and fell, 

Glaring upon the water out of reach. 

And praying succor in a silent speech, 

So piteous were its eyes. Which when she saw, 

This woman from her foot her shoe did draw, 

Albeit death-sorrowful, and looping up 

The long silk of her girdle, made a cup 

Of the heel's hollow, and thus let it sink 

Until it touched the cool black water's brink; 

So filled th' embroidered shoe, and gave a draught 

To the spent beast, which whined, and fawned, and 

quaffed 
Her kind gift to the dregs; next licked her hand. 
With such glad looks that aU might understand 
He held his life from her; then, at her feet 
He followed close, all down the cruel street. 
Her one friend in that city. 



But the king, 
Riding within his litter, marked this thing, 
And how the w«man, on her way to die. 
Had such compassion for the misery 



THE ADULTERESS. 153 

Of that parched hound: "Take off her chain, and 

place 
The veil once more above the sinner's face, 
And lead her to her house in peace !" he said, 
" The law is that the people stone thee dead 
For that which thou hast wroiight; but there is come, 
Fawning around thy feet, a witness dumb, 
Not heard upon thy trial ; this brute beast 
Testifies for thee, sister! whose weak breast 
Death could not make ungentle. I hold rule 
In Allah's stead, who is ' the Merciful,' 
And hope for mercy; therefore go thou free — 
I dare not show less pity unto thee !" 



As we forgive — and more than we — 
Ya Barr! good Ood! show clemency. 



154 PEARLS OF THE FAITK 



79 



Praise Him, Al- Taiowdh; if a soul repents. 
Seven times and seventy times iky Lord relents. 

At the gates of Paradise, 
Whence the angry Angels drave him, 
Adam heard in gentle wise 
Allah's whisper, which forgave him: 
" Go," it said, " from this fair place, 
Ye that sinned; yet not despairing; 
Haply there shall come a grace 
And a guidance ; and in fearing 
Me, and following My will, 
Blessed shall your seed be still." * 

Know ye not that God receives 
Gladly back the soul which grieves? 
Know ye not that He relents 
Ere the sinner well repents? 
Terribly His justice burns. 
Easily His anger turns, f 

Spake our Lord: "If one draw near 
Unto God — with praise and prayer — 
Half a cubit, God will go 
Twenty leagues to meet him so. 



* Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Heifer," v. 
+ Cf. Korftn, ix. chapter "Of Repentance." 



ADAM QUITTING EDEN 155 

He who walketh unto God, 
God will run upon the road, 
All the quickller to forgive 
One who learns at last to live." 



Ta Tawwdb ! for Ihy mercy's sake. 
Us to sweet peace and pity take. 



156 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



80,81 

"Forgiverf" and "Avenger T worship Him 
By these two names, Ghafoor and Muntakim. 

* O Men, of dry clay moulded, as the potter moulds the 

jars; 
O Djins, that We have fashioned from the smokeless 

fire of stars : 

WJiat terror of the Lord will ye abide ? 

He is Lord of east and west, He is Lord of south 
and north; 

And the seas obey the limits which He set them, pour- 
ing forth : 

What terror of the Lord will ye abide? 

Their white pearls, large and small, are the handiwork 

of Him ; 
And the ships, with towering sails, by His winds and 

waters swim: 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide f 

But the earth and all her creatures shall die and be de- 
cayed ; '■■ 
Only the face of Allah will ne^^'er change nor fade : 
Which terror of your Lord will ye abide ? 

* C£. Koran, Iv. chapter " Of the Merciful" 



HELL AND HEAVEN. 157 

The face of Allah ruling in glorious array; 
For all things look unto Him, and He governs day by 
day: 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide'? 

Yet will He find good leisure, ye twain! ye Djins and 

Men, 
To judge you at the judgment, O Clay and Flame! what 

then? 

Wliich terror of your Lord will ye abide ? 

If ye can pass His gateways, east, west, and south and 

north — 
Which shut in earth and heaven — hasten ye I pass yc 

forth : 

Which terroi' of your Lord will ye abide? 

But Life and Death enclose ye; by no v.ay shall ye 

pass ; 
A fence of flame shall stay ye, and a moat of molten 

brass: 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide? 

And when the sky is reuded, red like a new-ripped 

hide. 
There shall be no accusing, admitted or denied: 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide ? 

No yea nor nay! no questions! the sinner's brand is 

sin; 
Thereby shall he be known, and flung Hell's blazing 

walls within: 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide f 



168 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Flung by the forelock and the feet: " ' This Hell existed 

not,' 
Ye said. Now broil ! and when ye thirst, drink sulphur 

scalding hot:" 

Which terror of your Lord will ye abide ? 

But sweet for him who was faithful, and feared the 

face of his God, 
Are the Gardens of joy preparing, and the gates of the 

Golden Abode : 

Which bounty of his Lord mil he denyf 

"With leafy branching fruit-trees are set those Gardens 

twain, 
And softly the streamlets warble, and brightly the 

fountains rain: 

Which bounty of his Lord will he deny ? 

And the fruit of the Golden Gardens swings delicate, 

near to reach. 
Where they rest on their 'broidered couches, hearing 

delightful speech: 

Which bounty of their Lord will they deny ? 

Therein are the shy-faced maidens, refraining their 
night-black eyes 

From any save that glad lover whose joy is their Para- 
dise: 

Which bounty of their Lord will they deny ? 

From any but that glad lover, that happy lord for whom 
Their months of pearl rain kisses, their lips of ruby 
bloom : 

Which bounty of their Loi'd will they deny ? 



EELL AND HEAVEN: 159 

Shall the wages of righteous-doing be less than the 

promise given? 
Nay! but by God, the Glorious, the debt shall be paid 

in heaven ! 

What bounty of their Lord shall they deny ? 



man! fear Him, magnify Him; 
AlrQhafooT and Al-Muntakim, 



160 PEARLS OF TBE FAITH. 



83 



Praise Eim, Al-Raicuf, Just and Kind alway. 
Who knoweth how He made us of the clay. 

Say, " Lord of all, to Tliee 

Goetli our road ; 
Require not of our souls 

Too much, dear God ! 
Thou M'ilt not! what was earned 

Thou dost defray; 
And what was done amiss 

That we must pay; 
But ah! be not extreme 

With what's forgot, 
With error, or small sin. 

And load us not 
With burdens which we cannot carry, Lord! 
But favor, help, forgiveness afford. " * 

Tender His answers are: — 

(The " Chapter of the Star."t 
Ayat the Thirty- Third): "The heavens and earth 

To Us pertain , and We 

Will deal, assuredly, 
Well with the good, but with the ill in wrath. 

Yet not for each offence, 

Errors of flesh or sense, 



* Cf. Koran, ii. chapter " Of the Heifer." 
+ Cf . Koran, liii. 



^UBA ''OF THE STAB." 161 

Shall there be judgment, children of the loam I 

Our mercy reacheth far; 

We know ye •vrhat ye are, 
And knew ye while ye lay clots in the womb : 

Sin, and be sorry, and amend: 
Who seeketh God shall find Him in the end." 



Ever-indulgent Maker ! we 

Praise for these words Thy clemency. 



163 PEARLS OF TEE FAITH. 



83 



King of all kingdoms! only Tliou art crowned, 

Whose throne is heaven, and earth Thy footstool's round, 

Ta Malik! Ya Kuddus ! wa ya Saldm! 

O King! O Holy One! O Peace-giver! 

Ya Aziz ! Ya Muhaimin ! Ya Mumin ! 

O Mighty! O Protector! Faithful ever! 

Ya Jahbdr! O Thou Sovereign, All-compelling 1 

Ya MutakahUr! O Thou Lord excelling! 
Exalted art Thou over utmost praise ; 
Accurst are those who graven idols raise 
Beside Thee; unto them fall plagues and shames! 
To Thee alone belong " the comely names."* 



King of all kings ! we celebrate 

With endless praise Thy glorious state. 

* Cf. Koran, lix, chapter " Of the Emigration." 



SUBA "OF TEE MERCIFUL:' 163 



84 



" Lord ofaicfulness and Jionorf" we 
Lack wit and words in fitly naming Thee, 

All things shall die and decay, but the kingdom of 
Allah endureth, 
Changeless in honor and might, changeless in glory 
and grace ; 
Blessed be He who is Lord, possessed of all beauty and 
greatness ; 
All things die and decay; only endureth His face.* 



Dhu'ljaldl wa'l ikrdm! thus ever 

Praise we Thy Throne which fadeth nsver. 



* Cf. Koran, Iv. chapter " Of the Merciful," vv. 26, 78. 



164 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



85 



' Al-Miiksit ! *^ Equitable r maJce us know, 

As men have wrought, they shall he wrought with so. 

Three days before our Lord Muhammad passed, 
They bore him to the mosque, where he uprose — 
Painfully leaning upon Omar's neck — 
The fever burning in his cheeks, his mouth 
Dry with the wind of death, and that knit brow 
Shadowed with Azrael's overhanging wings. 
One thin hand on the mimbar-rail he laid, 
Speaking sweet words of guidance, precious words. 
The last which ever fell from those lit lips, 
Teaching his Faithful. 

Then he gazed around, 
And said, "Ye men of Mecca, where I lived. 
Going and coming, testifying God, 
I shall die soon; I pray ye answer me, 
Is there among ye here one I have wronged? 
I have borne rule, Judging in Allah's name, 
That am a man and sinful; have I judged 
Unrighteously, or wratllfull3^ or pressed 
Too hard in the amend? Let who saith ' Yea/ 
Make his * Yea ' good before my people here, 
And 1 will bare my back that he may smite. 
I have borne testimony for the truth, 
Not sparing sinners ; speak, if there be here 
One visited unjustly; let him shame 



THE LAST SERMON OF THE PROPHET. 165 

His Prophet now, telling the sin I wrought 
Before the assembly, I have gathered dues ; 
Declare if I defrauded any here 
Buying or selling." 

And no answer came, 
Except the sound of sobs and falling tears 
From stern breasts and the eyes of bearded men, 
Because our Lord would pass. 

But one arose, 
A hamal, with his cord across his back 
And porter's knot, who cried, " Abdallah's son! 
Three drachms of silver owest thou to me 
For wood I bore thee after * Ramadhan 1' " 

"Good friend, I thank thee,'' softly said our Lord, 
" Because thou didst demand thy money here. 
And not before the judgment seat of God : 
111 is it if men thither carry debts!" 
Therewith he paid his debt, kissing the hand 
Wherein the dirhems dropped; and so went home 
To die upon the lap of Ayesha, 
With glad face fixed on high, and holy lips 
That murmured, "Allah! pardon me my sinsl" 

O ye believers! if our Lord did thus, 
Consider well! leave no unrighted wrongs 
Against the ill time when the Angels come, 
Monker and Nakir, gliding through the dark, 
And set ye up for question in the grave; 
AVhen Israfil his dreadful trumpet blows. 
Summoning to judgment; when the skies roll back 
Like a scorched scroll, and o'er the gulf of hell 
Al-Sirat stretches, " thinner than a hair 



166 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

And sharper than a sword," and yet to cross 1 
Ah, then! what good one wrought, he hath of help 
Even to a date-stone; what of ill he wrought. 
Of hindrance, to a date-stone; for your God 
Is righteous, and the distribution just. 



Ojust ''Distributor!" incline 
Our hearts to keep Thy laws divine. 



SUJiA "OF WOMEN." 1G7 



Al-Jami'h! praise " the Gatherer,'' Wlio divides 
Evil and good unto tlieir proper sides. 

Ye who believe, stand ye steadfast in justice, 
Witnessing true tliougli it be to displease; 

Heed not your patrons, nor parents, nor kinsmen, 
Allah is nearer and richer than these. 

Sit ye not down in the seat of the scornful, 
Hear not the tales which the hypocrites tell; 

On the day when His children are folded together 
Al-Jami'h shall scatter the sinners to hell.* 



We take Thee for our Shepherd; keep 
Safe in the fold Thy foolish sheep. 

* Cf. Koran, iv. chapter "Of Women," v. 139. 



IGS PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



87 



We praise Thee; but no need of praise Thou lioAty 
AUOhani ! in Thy gloi'y bright and vast. 

MiGHiT is He and forgivifJg.* 
One soul did He first create, 
Then He made tlierefrom a mate: 
And to lielp man in his living, 
Gave him herds, each with the other. 
Camels, oxen, goats and sheep. 
Think how Allah wakes from sleep 
The babe, close folded in its mother! 
In three darknesses He shrouds it; 
Wonder upon wonder clouds it. 
He is Maker: can ye see 
All these tokens and still be 
Thankless? Yet, if so ye are, 
Not beholden to your care 
Is Al-Ghani: self-sufficing 
Lives high Allah, recognizing 
Gladly all His creatures' love 
In a changeless peace above. 
Judge ye each for each ; with God 
No man bears another's load. 
Unto Him is your return, 
Then shall every spirit learn 



* Cf. Koran, xxxlx. chapter " Of Troops." 



SURA " OF TROOPS." 169 

What it wrought, and what is due ; 
For He knows the hearts of you. 



Ah, Self-sufficing One ! we se^k 

To praise Thee weU, but words are weak. 



170 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



He is sufficient, and He makes suffice; 
Praise thus again thy Lord, mighty and wise. 

God is enough! thou, who in hope and fear 
Toilest through desert-sands of life, sore-tried, 

Climb trustful over death's black ridge, for near 
The bright wells shine: thou wilt be satisfied. 

God doth suffice! O thou, the patient one. 
Who puttest faith in Him, and none beside, 

Bear yet thy load; under the setting sun 
The glad tents gleam: thou wilt be satisfied. 

By God's gold Afternoon! * peace ye shall have: 
Man is in loss except he live aright, 

And help his fellow to be firm and brave, 
Faithful and patient : then the restful night I 



Al-Mughni I best Rewarder ! we 
Endure; putting our trust in Thee. 



* Cf. KorS,n, ciii. chapter " Of the Afternoon." 



THE TWO GATEWAYS. 171 



89, 90 

Mu'hti and Mdni'h ! Heav'n TJwu mad'st, and Hell, 
Pi'oviding and withholdmg — and didst well. 

When God fashioned Paradise,* 

Spake He unto Gabriel: 
" See tliis place which We created, 

Where the justified will dwell." 
Gabriel said, "My Lord! I swear 

By Thy glory, none of men 
Ever of its joys shall hear 

But will strive to enter in." 

Round about His Paradise 

God set sorrows and denials; 
Laid the pathway steep and strait, 

Hard to find and full of trials. 
"Look again!" God said; and he 

Looked, and came, and sadly spake: 
" By Thy glorious majesty, 

Not one man will entrance make!" 

Then the Lord created Hell, 
Set ablaze its ache and grieving; 

Saying unto Gabriel, 

" This is for the unbelieving." 

* Cf. " The Miskat-al-Masabih." 



173 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Gabriel looked and said, "I swear, 
By Thy splendor, not a mortal, 

When of hell-fire he shall hear, 
Ever will approach its portal." 

Round about those awful gates 

Allah set soft sins and pleasures; 
Made the pathway broad and plain. 

Rich with joys and gifts and treasures. 
" Look again," said God; and he 

Saw; and spake, " Save by Thy blessing, 
O my Lord! there will not be 

One that must not love transgressing." 



Lord of the two-fold roads, ice pray 
Lead us upon the rightful way. 



THE DOVE. 173 



91 



** Propitious" is He unto tliose that show 
Compassion to His creatures; praise Him so. 

*• No beast of earth, no fowl that flies with wings," 
Saith tlie great Book, " but is a people, too; 

From Allah sprang their life, and unto Him 
They shall return: with such heed what ye do!" 

There came before our Lord a certain one 
Who said, " O Prophet! as I passed the wood, 

I heard the voice of youngling doves which cried, 
While near the nest their pearl-necked mother 
cooed." 

** Then in my cloth I tied those fledglings twain, 
But all the way the mother fluttered nigh ; 

See! she hath followed hither!" Spake our Lord: 
"Open thy knotted cloth, and stand thou by." 

But when she spied her nestlings, from the palm 
Down flew the dove, of peril unafeared 

So she might succor these. *' Seest thou not," 
Our Lord said, " how the heart of this poor bird 

" Grows, by her love, greater than his who rides 
Full-face against the spear-blades? thinkest thou 

Such fire divine was kindled to be quenched? 
I tell ye nay! Put back upon the bough 



174 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

"The nest she claimeth thus. I tell ye nay! 

From Allah's self cometh this wondrous love: 
Yea! and I swear by Him who sent me here. 

He is more tender than a nursing dove, 

"More pitiful to men than she to these. 

Therefore fear God in whatsoe'er ye deal 
With the dumb peoples of the wing and hoof. 

Yours are they; yet whene'er ye lift the steel 

" To slay for meat, name first the name of God, 
Saying ' Bi 'sm 'illah! God judge thee and me? 

God give thee patience to endure to-day 
The portion that He hath allotted thee. 

" So shall ye eat and sin not; else the blood 
Crieth against you," Thus our Prophet spake. 

And Islam doeth it, naming God's name 
Before the slaughter, — for that white dove's sake. 



By those dumb moutlis he ye forgiven. 
Ere ye are heard pleading with Heaven. 




KINO SHEDDAB'JS PARADISE. 175 



92 



Az-Zarr ! " Harmful " He is to tJiem that sin 
Mocking the truth; man ! fear Him herein. 

Sheddad, the son of Ad, of Hadramaut, 
Idolater, lord of the land and sea, 
Hath it come to ye how he mocked at Heaven, 
Saying the idols of the coast were best — 
Sdkia that makes the laiu, and Hafedha 
The Thunderer, Razek who gives grain to men, 
And Salema, lady of life and death? — 
And how he sware an oath by those four gods, 
Drinking the palm-wine deep at Hadramaut, 
That he would build a better Paradise 
Than Allah's, and be Lord and God therein; 
With earthly Houris fairer than those maids 
"Wrought of the musk and ambergris, who have 
The great immortal breasts and black-pearl eyes; 
With sweeter streams than Salsabil,* and trees 
Richer in fruit than Tooba:f this he sware, 
Abiding not the judgment, nor the blasts 
Of Israfil, nor weighing of the scales. 
Wherefore he gave command that there be built 
In Akhaf, on the hills, beyond the sand^ 
Within a hollow vale walled by wild peaks — 

* A stream of Paradise. 

t The Tree of Happiness, which grow^s from Muhammad's pa- 
vilion in Paradise. 



176 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

A pleasure-house — beautiful with white courts 
Of levelled marble, and in every court 
A fountain, sparkling from a tank inlaid 
With amber, nacre, coral; and around, 
In every court, cloisters of columns carved 
With reeded shafts and frontals, wonderful 
For beast and bird and fish and leaf and flower. 
And round about this pleasure-house he bade 
A lovely garden bloom, terraced by lanes 
Bosky with blossoming trees and rose-thickets, 
Where hidden streamlets murmured and gold fruit 
Loaded the boughs, and all the air was balm. 
He gave command, moreover, that there rise 
Hard by, with streets and markets, a fair town 
Peopled by ministers of pleasure, and walled 
With ramparts of the rose and pomegranate; 
Wherethrough there led a double folding gate. 
Fashioned of fragrant woods, and set with stars 
Of silver, opening downwards to the vale, 
Inscribed "The Paradise of King Sheddad." 

And when the house was made, and all the courts 
Were girdled with the carven shafts, and cooled 
With leaping fountains; and the roses, blown, 
Filled the green vale with sweetness; and the town 
Was heaped with grain and wine, and people moved 
Busy and glad about its new fair streets, 
Sheddad set forth. A shining line of spears. 
League-long, wound first upon the mountain-path; 
And after them the camel-Utters, decked 
With silk and gold, and poles of silver, came 
Bearing the Houris of his Paradise; 
And next the Prince amid his lords: so clomb 
The gay march up the sandy steeps, or streamed 



KINO SHEDDAD'S PARADISE. 177 

Down the gray wadis. At the head of all 
Rode one who held a flag of yellow silk, 
Which had for its device, " Amid Ids gods, 
Shedddd, the son of Ad, of Hadramaut, 
Unasked of Allah, wends to Paradise." 

That night they entered at the silver gate, 
Making bold cheer; and sweet the garden was. 
And green the groves, and bright the pleasure-house 
Lit with a thousaud scented lamps, and loud 
With dance and cymbal and the beat of drum. 
But when the golden horse-shoe of the moon 
"Waned in the west, there came into the sky 
Three clouds; and one was white and had the shape 
Of a winged angel; one was red and burned 
Across the planets like a blazing sword: 
And one, thick black, gathered around the head 
Of a bare hollow mountain, seamed with gaps 
And caverns, wherefrom — full upon their feast — 
Brake, of a sudden, flame and cataracts 
Of blood-red molten rock, with pitchy smoke 
Veiling the heavens, and rain of blinding dust. 
All pierced by livid lightning-spears, and driven 
By fierce winds, hotter than the breath of hell; 
Which sucked the streams, and parched the trees, and 

dried 
Life from the body, as a furnace draws 
The moisture from the potter's claj', while earth 
Rocked, quaking; and the thunder's vengeful voice 
Rolled horrible from crag to crag, and mocked 
The d^ath-cry of those choked idolaters: 
Whereof, when the sun rose, there breathed not one; 
Nor any green thing lingered in the vale; 
Nor road nor gate appeared; nor might a man 



178 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

Say where the garden of King SbeddSd stood: 
So -were the ways iiptoru, and that fair sin 
Blotted from vision by the wrath of God. 

Yet to this day there lurketh — lost to view 
Of all men, hardly found by wandering wolf, 
Spied seldom by the vulture's hungry eye — 
Tlie remnant of the garden of Iram. 
Deep in the wilderness of Aden, hid 
Behind wild peaks, and fenced with burning sands, 
The perished relics of that pleasaunce lie 
Which SheddM made, mocking the power of God : 
And one who tended camels in the land, 
Abdallah-Ebn-Keldbah, seeking there 
A beast estrayed, followed her footmarks up 
Into a gorge, which split a cliff in twain 
From sky to sand, darii as the heart of night, 
With thickets at its mouth and jutting rocks. 
Therethrough he pushed, and when the light once more 
Glimmered and grew, he spied a hollow, shut 
In the gaunt barren peaks, with black dust strewn, 
And piled with cindery crags and bladdered slag, 
In midst of which la}' — plain to see — the bones 
Of Slieddad's city and his pleasure-house; 
All with their withered gardens, and the gate 
Rusted and ruined; and the cloistered courts 
Swathed in the death-drift, and the marble tanks 
Choked to their brims; the carven columns fall'n 
Or thrust awry; the bright pavilions foul 
Witli ashes, and with remnants of the dead: 
For Ebn-Kelabah passed into the place, 
And saw the valley thronged with carcases 
Of men and women and the townspeople — 
Not mouldered, as is wont, to whitened bone, 



KING SE AD DAD' 8 PARADISE. 179 

But dried, by the hot blasts of that dread night, 

Unto a life in death; the skin and flesh 

Yet clinging, and the robes of festival 

Still gay of color; all those sinful ones 

Slain in their sin even where the vs^hirlwind struck : 

So that he saw the dancers as they fell 

With dancing-dress and timbrels; and tlie ring 

Of watchers round them ; and the slaves who made 

Their music; and the bearers bringiug wine, 

Each by his shrivelled wineskiu, dead and dry. 

Also within the courts, lay corpses slim, 

Rich-clad and delicate, with jewelled necks, 

The Houris of that ruined Paradise. 

The sunlien eyes stared, and the drawn lips grinned 

Under dead rose-crowns, and the shapely limbs 

Were grown too lean for the loose tarnished gold 

Of armlet and of anklet; dusty lay 

Strings of dulled jewels on their sjjruuken breasts; 

And brimmed with dust the cups were which they clasped 

In stiff discolored fingers. In their midst 

Sate, all a-gape, King Sheddad, for a throne 

Propped his dead form, and round the waist of it 

A sword hung, in a belt of gold and silk, 

Hilted with pearls and rubies. This he took — 

The camel-man — and glided, terrified, 

Back from that City of the Dead; and found 

The night-black gorge, and groped his way, and 

brouglit 
The sword and sword-hilt into Hadramaut, 
Telling tlie dread tilings seen of Allah's wrath 
AVrought on the misbelievers; and their streets 
Wrecked, and their painted courts, peopled with dead. 
Such awful end came on the men of Ad, 
Wiio made the House of Iram; and their lord. 



180 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 

But no foot since hath found that road again, 
Nor shall; till Israfil sets to his lips 
The trumpet, and Az Zarr will bid him blow. 



Harmful unto mockers ! we 
Know and adore Thy majesty. 



SUBA " OF LIGHT.'* 181 



93 



An-Koor ! " The Light" that lightens all who live / 
By this great name to Allah glory give. 

Of earth and heaven God is the Light.* 

As when a lamp upon a height 

Is set within a niche, and gleams 

From forth the glittering glass, and seems 

A star, — wide fall the rays of it: — 

So shines His glor}", and 'tis lit 

With holy oil was never pressed 

From olive tree in east or west. 

It burneth without touch of flame, 

A light beyond all light: the same 

Guideth the feet of men, and still 

He leadeth by it whom He will. 



Light of the world! An-Noor ! illume 
Our darkling 'pathway to the tomb. 



* Cf. Koran, xxiv. chapter " Of Light. 



182 PEARLS OF THE FAITH, 



94 



Al-Hddi I Lord ! tJie way is "hard, and we. 

Thy creatures, have none other " Guide" tJiaii TJiee 

By many names and guides doth God 
Lead men along the upward road; 
He, unto each land under Heaven, 
A prophet of its owu hath given: 
Had, Idris, Eyoob, Moses,— all 
Upon the self -same Lord did call; 
Seeing there is no way besides 
His way, the Guider of the guides; 
Nor any light to mortals known 
Except Al-Hadi — His alone. 

'Tis told, nigh to a city-gate 
Four fellow-travellers hungry sate, 
An Arab, Persian, Turk, and Greek; 
And one was chosen forth, to seek 
Their evening meal, with dirhems thrown 
Into a common scrip; but none 
Could with his fellows there agree 
What meat therewith should purchased be. 
"Buy W2WTO," quoth the Turk, "which food 
Is cheaper, sweeter, or so good?" 
" Not so," the Arab cried, " I say 
Buy aneh, and the most ye ma\'." 
" Name not thy trash!" the Persian said, 
" Who knoweth uzum or aneh f 



'~ 



THE FOUR TRAVELLERS. 183 

Bring anghur, for the country's store 
Is ripe and rich." The Greek, who bore 
Their dirhems, clamored, " "What ill thing 
Is anghur ? Surely I will bring 
Staphylion green, staphylion black, 
And a fair meal we shall not lack." 
Thus wrangled they, and set to try 
With blows what provend he should buy, 
When, lo! before their eye^ did pass, 
Laden with grapes, a gardener's ass. 
Sprang to his feet each man, and showed 
With eager hand, that purple load. 
" See xizumr said the Turk; and " See 
Anghur!" the Persian; " what should be 
Better .?' ' ' ' Nay, aneh ! aneh 'tis !" 
The Arab cried. The Greek said, " This 
Is my staphylion !'" Then they bought 
Their grapes in peace. 

Hence be ye taught! 



But unto us TJiy changeless name 
Is Allah— praised he the same. 



4 



■Ai^ 



184 PEARLS OF THE FAITH 



95. 96 

Al-Azali! Al-Bdki ! praise to Thee 
Who least before Beginning, and will he 
After the Ending. From Thy mercy came 
Man's breath, and unto Thee returns the same. 

Al Aaraf* saitli— the sevenlh of " the Book:" — 

In the Begin uiug God from Adam took 

All who should be his seed, and bade them bear 

Witness upon themselves, putting His fear 

And knowledge in the hearts of all to be, 

As salt is set in all the waves of the sea. 

A countless, nameless, throng there gathered they, 

That unborn multitude; and God did say, 

" Testify! Am I not your Lord?" And those 

Replied, "Yea, Lord! we testify!" Propose 

Kever, then, Man! to say, "we did not have 

Guidance;" it shall be answered, " Allah gave 

With life that light which leadeth to the grave." 

And in the chapter of " Ya Siu"f it saith— 
Read in the Muslim's ear at hour of death : X — 
A blast! and then another blast! and, lol 
At summons of the trumpet, all shall go 



* Cf. Koran, chapter vii. verse 172. 

+ Koran, chapter xxxvi. 

X This Suva is recited at the death-beds of Miihammedana, 



SURA " OF TA sin:' is^^ 

Forth fi'om their grave-beds, thronging once again 
Unto their Lord; and some, in fear and pain, 
Shall cry, " Woe," woe! what waketh us? Is this 
God's word come true?" and some, in joy and bliss, 
Shall say, " Now, praise to God! His prophets spake 
Truth unto us." For all mankind shall wake 
Together, at the trumpet; and shall wend 
Together, to the Judgment, in the end. 

And no soul shall be wronged in that dread place 
For aught not wrought; nor any soul find grace 
Except for what it wrought; and there shall fall 
Endless delight in Paradise on all 
Who kept that witness! happy they shall be 
Reclining with sweet consorts, 'neath the Tree 
Which bears all fruits, and groweth by the Throne. 
And they siiall hear the Lord say to His own, 
" Peace!"— they shall hear the Merciful say so. 

But to the sinners shall be thundered, ** Go! 
Divide herefrom! did not jq testify?" 
•' Yea, dreadful Lord!" — thus shall they make reply, 
Descendiuff into Hell. 



TJiy mercy send. 
Thou, tlie Beginning and the End! 



1^:^:0 PEARLS OF THE FAITIL 



97 



Inheritor ! all things proceed from Thee^ 
And re-committed to Thy hands shall he. 

The chapter of Al-Hajar:* There is nought 
But from the treasury of God was brought; 

Such and so much He lends them; winds and waters; 
Have ye the store of these things, or of aught? 

Did ye set in the sky the starry band, 

Or pile the mountain peaks upon the land? 

Verily He hath made and will unmake them, 
And all these shall return into His hand. 

"O Rose!" the Dewdrop said, "whence didst thou 

spring, 
That art so sweet and proud and fair a thing?" 

" From dust I sprang," she said, " and ere to-morrow 
Back to the dust I shall be mouldering." 

" O Dewdrop!" said the Rose, " where didst thou gain 
This light, that like a gem on me hath lain?" 

" A cloud," he said, " uplifted me from ocean, 
And I must trickle to the deep again," 

The Bulbul heard; «' O Allah's rose!" it said, 
•' The air is fragrant with thee, being dead; 

O Allah's Dewdrop! ere the sea did suck thee, 
She was the fairer; be thou comforted!" 

* Cf. Koran, chapter xv, verse 21. 



TEE nOSE AM) THE DEWUMOR 387 

For saith the chapter of Al-Hajar: " Tell 
My servants I have made the heavens well, 

And the earth well, and with a steadfast purpose; 
And Paradise is Mine, and Mine is Hell."* 



Inheritor ! all things are Thine ; 
Al- Warith ! Thou might Divine ! 



* Cf. Koran, xv. w. 49, 85. 



188 PEARLS OF THE FAITH. 



98 



Earth knows, Jieaven shows ; the, holy s^criptures say, 
How righteous and " unernmf is Thy way. 

" We sent it down upou the ' Night of Power,' * 

Tiie Book which ' doth declare' 
In all the year that night is best: one hour 

Thereof, in praise and prayer, 

"Is worth a thousand days of joy; for then 

The Angels bear commands, 
Bringing the will of Al-Kaschid to men; 

Descending on all lands. 

*' Peace rnleth till the rising of that dawn, 

While Allali doth ordain 
How many souls those twelve moons shall be born, 

How many shall attain. 

" His mercy; for the books are brought of these. 

And each account i? cast; 
And Allah raaketh 'the allowances,' 

Accepting sov.ls nt last." 

Thus spake our Lord, and Ayesha replied, f 

" O Prophet! are there none 
Accepted, save by mercy?" "None!" he cried, 

By God! T say not one!" 

* Cf. KorS,n, xcvii. chapter " Of Power." 
t Cf. the Mishkat-el-Mfisfi-bih. 



THE PROPHETS OATH. 189 

** Not thou! — not even i\io\i\—thou not to go, 

Unquestioned, into heaven, 
Who walked with Allah's Angels, and belov» 

Taught us the message given ?" — 

He drew his cloth across his bended face 

And thrice he spake to her: 
" Except God's mercy cover me with grace, 

I shall not enter there!" 



Al-PascMd / and if not he. 
Increase io us Thy clemency. 



190 islam: 



99 



lomng-Und, " long svffering'' Lord ! once more 
We praise Ihee, magnifying Az-Zahoor, 

Patient is Alluh, and He loveth well 

The patient, saith " the Book,""* and such as dwell 

In kindness, asking pardon of their sins 
Each dawn, and pardoning the blamable. 

Islam! this is the Faith I thyself resign, 
Soul, mind, and body, to the will divine: 

The kingdom and the glory and the power 
Are God's, and God's the government,— not thinel 

Thebe is no god but God! and He is All ; 
And whatso doth befall ye doth befall 

By His decree: therefore, with fear and love 
UpcQ His glorious names devoutly call. 



Allah ! His Iwly will he done! 
Islam ! — we how hefore His tlirone. 



Cf. Kor&n, iii. v. 15, chapter " Of Iinran's Family." 



■■a>«««CT>gni^ip« 



NOTES. 



Page 15, line 17. — One version of tliis legend saj's that 
Soluirah (or Zobarah) herself, the sphit of the planet 
Venus, descended to tempt the two Angels. Harut and 
Marut are fabled to be confiued still iu the vicinity of 
Babel, where a man may go to learn sorcery of them, 
hearing their voices, but never seeing their forms. 

Page 17, line 20. — Gabriel, or Jibraii, is called in Ara- 
bian theology Rii'li-el-Amin, "the Faithful Spirit," or 
Ru'li-el-Kuddiis, " the Holy Spirit." It was he who de- 
livered the Koran to Muhammad. 

Page 18, line 3. — A conimentator on this legend writes: 
" Some say tliat Solomon brought these horses, being 
a thousand ia number, from Damascus and Nisibis, 
■which cities lie had taken; others say that they were left 
him by his father, who took them from the Amalekites; 
while others, who prefer the marvellous, pretend that 
they came up out of the sea, and had wings. However, 
Solomon, having one day a mind to view the horses, 
ordered them to be brought before him, and was so 
taken up with them that he spent the remainder of the 
day, till after sunset, in looking on them; by which 
means he almost neglected the prayer, which ought to 
have been said at that time, till it was too late: but 
when he perceived his omission, he was so greatly con- 
cerned at it, that ordering the horses to be brought back, 



193 JVOTES. 

he killed tliem all as an offering to God, except only a 
hundred of the best of them. But God made him ample 
amends for the loss, by giving him dominion over the 
winds." 

Page 18, line 17. — Arafat is a mountain near Mecca, so 
named from the tradition that Adam, upon his repent" 
ance, was reunited there to Eve, after a separation of 
two hundred years. 

Page 22, line 1. — Israfil is one of the Archangels, who 
will sound the last trumpet at the resurrection. He has 
" the sweetest voice of all God's creatures." 

Page 22, line 13. — Iblis, " He who despairs," is ShaitEn, 
or Satan, who fell from Heaven on account of arro- 
gantly refusing to pay reverence to Adam at the creation, 
when all the other Angels worshipped the first man. 

Page 23, line 1. — Wuzu'/i, or washing (either with 
actual water, or by imitating the process with sand, 
etc.), must precede all those prayers which are farz, or 
" incumbent." These arc commenced in a standing at- 
titude, Kiydm, the thumbs touching the lobes of the 
ears and the face turning towards Mecca. 

Page 24, line 9 — Tiie " Companions of the right hand" 
are so culled because thej^ will have the book of their 
good deeds put into their right hands in token of salva- 
tion; while evil-doers will have their scroll of condem- 
nation, at the last day, thrust into their left hands. 

Page 24, li)ie 13. — " Such, moreover, as of old time," 
etc. These are the early prophets and holy teachers in 
all nations. The text of the Koran calls them "the 
leaders, the leaders!" that emphatic repetition denoting 
their dignity, and the assurance of their prominence in 
the final reward. 



JS'OTES. 



193 



Page 25, line 23.—" 3Iawz-trees. " The original word 
taW may mean either Ibe plantain, or that acacia which 
has small round golden blossoms. 

Page 26, line 1.— Sale has :i citation upon these privi- 
leged attributes of the Houris. "Allah has created 
them purposely of finer materials than the females of 
this vv(;!! !, : 1.(1 subject to none of those inconveniences 
which are natural to the sex. Some understand this 
passage of the beautiful women; who, though they died 
old and ill-favored, shall yet all be restored to*^ their 
youth and beauty in Paradise." 

Page 211, line 8.— "At Azan." The time of the call 
to prayer, and especially after the sun has begun to 
decline. 

Page 31, line 13.— " And spider." One of the Suras of 
the Koritn, the 29th, is named after this insect. 

Page 33.—" The Verse of the Throne." This (which 
is often engraved on seal rings in the East) is so called 
from the word Koorsiy, the " chair or throne" of Allah, 
which occurs in the sublime passage cited. In the 
judgment of Muhararaedans the " Throne- Yerse" is one 
of the noblest portions of the Koran, surpassing in 
majesty of diction all other human compositions. It is 
taken from the 2d Sura, verse 256, and is rendered very 
exactly, as below^ by Mr. Redhouse (to whose most 
learned and laborious article in the "Journal of the 
Royal Asiatic Society," January, 1880, my indebtedness 
has been extremelj^ great) : 

" God, save whom there is no God, is the Living, the 
Self-existing One. Drowsiness overcometh Him not, 
nor sleep. Unto Him belongeth wliatever i.s in the 
heavens, and whatever is in the earth. Who is he that 



194 2\'0TE3. 

shall make intercession with Him, save by His per- 
mission? He knoweth whatever is before them, and 
whatever is behind them; and they comprehend not a 
single matter of His knowledge, save only that which 
He hath willed. His firmament spans the heavens and 
the earth, the preservation whereof doth not distress 
Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Supreme." 

N.B. — E;ich chapter of the Koran is called a Sura, a 
term signifying a course of bricks in a wall; and the 
Suras are divided into 'dydt, verses, or more literally 
"signs." 

Page 33. — This Siira, 59, is known as the chapter " Of 
the Emigration." 

Page 34, line 1. — The Muslim doctors call the scriptu- 
ral Terah, the father of Abraham, by the name of Azar. 
This was also the title of the god of the planet Mars. 
Abraham's father is moreover styled Zarali in the Tal- 
mud, and Athar also, by Eusebius. 

Page 34, line 25.—" Friend of Allah." The Muslims 
so denominate Abraham, Al-KJialU. 

Page 37. — This is suggested from SQra 35, ihe chapter 
"Of the Angels," or " Of the Originator." The Arch- 
angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to Muhammad, 
on the night of his journey to Heaven, having no less 
than three hundred pairs of wings! 

Page 38, line 15.— " Michael," or Mika'il. The Arch- 
angel here named was especially the guardian of the 
Jews. The Israelites of Mecca told Muhammad that 
they would have received his Koran, if Michael instead 
of Gabriel had revealed it. 

Page 39, line 15.— " AzrSel." The Archangel of 
Death. 



NOTES. 195 

Page 40, line 1.—" God's Friend." Vide note on paire 
85, Une 15. ^ 

P^^'^ 44, ^m^ 16.—" People of the bench." This was 
the name given to the poor persons whom the Prophet 
sustained by alms every day, and who used to wait for 
his gifts, sitting upon the bench outside Muhammad's 
house at Medina. 

Page 49.— The very rcmarliable Silra quoted here en- 
titled sometimes " The Brightness," came to the prophet 
thus: "It IS -elated that no revelation having been 
vouchsafed to Muhammad for several davs in answer 
to some questions put to him by the Korei^h.' because he 
had confidently promised to resolve them the next day 
without adding the exception, if it iilease God, or be- 
cause he had repulsed an importunate bea-gar, or else 
because a dead puppy lay under his seat, or for some 
other reason; his enemies said that God had left him- 
whereupon this chapter was sent down for his consola- 
tion." 

Pagem.—"ThQ Journey of the Night." "It is a 
dispute," writes Sale, "among the Muhammedan di- 
vines, whether their Prophet's nighf-journev was really 
performed by him corporally, or whether it was only a 
dream or vision. Some tliink the whole was no more than 
a vision; ana allege an express tradition of Mo^wiyah 
one of Muhammad's successors, to that purpose Others 
suppose he was carried bodily to Jerusalem, but no far- 
ther; and that he ascended thence to Heaven in spirit 
only. But the received opinion is, that it was no vision, 
but that he was actually transported in the body to his 
journey's end; and if any impossibility be objected, 
they think it a sufficient answer to say, that it might 
easiljT be effected by an omnipotent agent." 



-+■ 



196 NOTES. 

Page 51, line 25 —"One FdtHiah.'" The name of the 
opening pra3'^er of Muhammedans. 

Page 52, line 22. — " Monker and Nakir" are the t^Yo 
Angels who conduct "the exami;ialiou of the Tomb." 
They come to a man dh-ectly he is laid in his grave, and 
catecliise him as to his faith. If he repeats quickly and 
gladly the formula of Islam, they cause huu to repose 
in peace; but if he is uncertain or heterodox, liiey be- 
labor him with iron clubs, till his cries are so bitter that 
they are heard all through the earth, except by men and 
Djins. Then the two black Ministers press the clay 
down upon the corpse, and leave it to be wasted and 
consumed till the time of resurrection. 

Page 59, line 15. — " 'Hadith." The traditional sayings 
which supplement the Kordn. 

Page GO, line 2.—" Zem-Zcm." This is the holy well 
at Mecca, within the sacred precincts, believed to be 
that very spring which was revealed to Hagar when she 
fled with Ishmael. 

Page 62. — This legend of Nimrud is alluded to in 
SHra 21 of the Kor^n, entitled the " Chapter of 
Prophets." 

Page 63, line 19.— "Black Halimah." The Prophet 
was suckled by a Bedouin foster-nurse. 

Page 64, line 6. — " Hira." A wild and solitary moun- 
tain near Mecca. 

Page 68, line 5. — " Mikdt." These are the last six 
stag*€ on the journey to Mecca. The i'hrdm, or "garb 
of sanctity," consists of two wrappers without seams, 
one bound round the waist, the other passed over the 
shoulders. The tawaf is the seven-fold circuit of the 




NOTES. 197 

Kaabah, made three times quickly, and four times 
slowly, by all pilgrims. 

Page 73, line 4. — "Ye let stray your she camels." 
Nothing is held more valuable among the goods of an 
Arab than a she camel near to foaling. 

Page 73, line 13.— "Who killed thee, little maid?" 
This alludes to the ancient practice of infanticide among 
the Arabs, which Muhammad strenuously denounced. 

Page 74, line 7. — " He saw it and he heard." Allud- 
ing to the Prophet and his journey to Heaven. 

Page 79, line 7.—"Al-Ak7idf" is the plural of Eekf, 
and signifies "lands which lie in a winding or narrow 
boundary," specially applied to a district in the province 
of Hddramaut. 

Page 83, line 14. — "Al-Kduthar." This word signi- 
fies abundance, especially of good, and thence the gift of 
wisdom and 'projjhecy. Or it may mean abundance of 
wealth, followers, and the like. It is here used of a river 
iu Paradise, whence the water is derived into Muham- 
mad's pond, of which the blessed are to drink before 
their admission. According to a tradition of the 
Prophet, this river, wherein his Lord promised him 
abundant good, is sweeter than honey, whiter than 
milk, cooler than snow, and smoother than cream ; its 
banks are of chrysolites, and those who drink of it shall 
never thirst. 

Page 87, line 2.—"Al-Tdrek" is the "star that ap- 
pears" by night, i.e., the morning star. 

Page 89, line 1. — " AVhen the soul comes to the 
neck." A Koranic phrase for the last gasp of death. 



198 NOTES. 

Page ^2, ^me 20.— " The roses on that tree." In the 
mystic language of the East, the rose is the symbol of 
that Divine beauty which is the object of the soul's love. 

PageM, line lQ.—"RilUj/un." This means literally 
"exalted places." 

Page 95, line 4:.—" Tasmin.*' A stream in Paradise, 
so called because it waters the highest regions there. 

Page 96, line 12.— " Al-Fdtihah." This is the 1st 
chapter of the KorSn, which is also a prayer, and held 
in great veneration by the Muhammedans, who give 
it many honorable titles; as the chapter of prayer, of 
praise, of thanksgiving, of treasure, etc. They regard 
it as the quintessence of the whole Koran, and often re- 
peat it in their devotions both public and private, as 
Christians do the Lord's Prayer. 

Page 96, line 24.— " The morning mills." At day- 
break in Eastern countries almost the first sound of 
awaking domestic life is the noise of the stones used to 
grind meal. 

Page 98, line 6. — "The time for prayer," says Pro- 
fessor Palmer, "is called from the minarets of the 
mosques by Muezzins or criers, in the following words: 
'God is great' (4 times); 'I bear witness that there is 
no God but God ' (twice); 'I bear witness that Muliam 
mad is the apostle of God' (twice); 'Come hither to 
prayers ' (twice) ; ' Come hither to salvation ' (twice) ; 
' God is just! ' ' There is no other God than God! ' In 
the early morning the Muezzin adds, ' Praj'^er is better 
than sleep I'" 

Page 101 (no^).— " The Mishkat-al-MasdHJi." The 
book of the conversations of the Prophet. 



NOTES. 199 

Pa^e 106, line 7—Lailat-al-Kadr, "The Night of 
Power," was that on which the Koran was declared to 
have been revealed. 

Page 123, line 18.—" Al-Barsakh" The Koran says, 
"Behind them shall be a bar, until the day of resurrec- 
tion." Upon this Sale writes: "The original word 
harzakh, here translated ' bar,' primarily signifies any 
partition, or interstice, v/hicli divides oue thing from 
another; but is used by the Arabs not always in the 
same, and sometimes in an obscure sense. Tliey seem 
generally to express by it what the Greeks did by the 
word Hades; one while using it for the place of the 
dead, another while for the time of their continuance in 
that state, and another while for the state it^ielf. It is 
defined by their critics to be the interval or space be- 
tween this world and the next, or between death and 
the resurrection; every person who dies being said to 
enter into Al-Barzakh. The commentators on this pas- 
sage expound it as a barrier, or invincible obstacle, cut- 
ting off all possibility of return into the world, after 
death." 

Page 1.23, line 22.— "Birds." If the departed person 
was a believer, the Muslims say two Angels meet his 
soul, and convey it to Heaven, that its place there may 
be assigned, according to its merit and degree. They 
distinguish the souls of the Faithful into three classes: 
the first of prophets, whose souls are admitted into Par- 
adise immediately; the second of martyrs, whose spirits, 
according to a tradition of Muhammad, rest in the crops 
of green birds which eat of the fruits and drink of the 
rivers of Paradise; and the third of other believers, con- 
earning the state of wliose souls before Ihe resurrection 
there are various opinions. Some say they stay near 





Ti« rirrwmi* 




200 NOTES. 

the sepulchres, with liberty, however, of going wherever 
they please; which they confirm from Muhammad's 
manner of saluting the dead, alluded to elsewhere. 

Page 131, line 1. — The "ten holy eves" are the first 
ten nights of the sacred month of Dhiu'l Hcjjeh. 

Page 131, line 7. — " Iram" was the name of the pal- 
ace and pleasure-garden built by SheddM, son of Ad, 
in the desert of Aden. The story is related on another 
page. 

Page 131, line 9. — The Thamudites of the Hadramaut 
having killed their prophet, were utterly destroyed by 
tempests, and their city depopulated. 

Page 146, line 11.—" Al-Hudhud." The Arab histori- 
ans. Sale says, tell us that Solomon, having finished the 
temple of Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, 
where, having stayed as long as he pleased, he pro- 
ceeded towards Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the 
morning, he arrived by noon at Sanaa, and being ex- 
tremely delighted with the country, rested there; but 
wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among 
the birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs Al-Hud^ 
hud, whose business it was to find it; for it is pretended 
she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to discovei 
water underground, which the devils used to draw, af- 
ter she had marked the place by digging with her bill; 
they add, that this bird was then taking a tour in th« 
air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, 
she descended also, and having had a description given 
her by the other of the city of Saba, whence she was 
just arrived, they both went together to take a view of 
the place, and returned soon after Solomorr nai^ made 
the inquiry wliich occasioned what follov/s?. 



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^OTES, 201 

" It may be proper to mention Iierc what the Eastern 
writers fable of the manner of Solomon's travelling. 
They say that he had a carpet of green silk, on whicli 
his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and 
breadth, and sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the 
nien placing themselves on his riglit hand, and the spir- 
its on his left; and that when all were in order, the 
wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and trans- 
ported it, with all that were upon it, wherever he 
pleased; the army of birds at the same time flying over 
their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to°shade 
them from the sun." 

Page 147, lines 17-20.— "The sea-worm and the ant." 
The legend is that Solomon used the Uredo to bore his 
topaz, and, by filling the winding hole of the ruby with 
sugar and water, tempted an ant to draw a silk thread 
through it. 

Page 165. line 26.— "Monker and Nakir." These are 
the tu-o Angels who visit the dead immediately after 
burial, and having set them upright in the grave, ques- 
tion them as to their faith and actions, as before de- 
scribed. 

Page 165, line 31.— " Al-Sir^t." The narrow bridge 
which all must cross from this to the next world, " finer 
than a hair and sharper than a razor." 

"This bridge," it is written, "is beset on each side 
with briers and hooked thorns; which will, however 
be no impediment to the good, for they shall pass with 
wonderful ease and swiftness, like lightning or the wind, 
Muhammad and his Muslims leading the way; whereas 
the wicked, what with the slipperiness and extreme 
narrowness of the path, the entangling of the thorns, 
and the extinction of the light, which directed the for- 





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202 



NOTES. 



mer to Paradise, will soon miss their footing, and fall 
down headlong into hell, which is gaping beneath 
them." 

" Muhammad seems to have borrowed this from the 
Magians, who teach that on the last day all mankind 
will be obliged to pass a bridge called Pul Chinavad, 
that is, tJie strait bridge, leading directly into the other 
world; on the midst of which the Angels nppohited by 
God will stand, who will require of every one a siricL 
account of his actions. The Jews speak likewise of the 
bridge of hell, which they say is no broader tliun a 
thread." 

Page 168, line 9. — "Three darknesses." The body, 
the womb, and the amnion. 

Page 174, line 15. — This is the origin of the Hallal, a 
custom of Muslim hunters and butchers, who pronounce 
the formula of excuse and pity before slaying any ani- 
mal. 

Page 184, line 1. — "Al-Aaraf." The partition be- 
tween Heaven and Hell. The chapter quoted says, 
" And betwixt the two there is a wall, and they shall 
cry out to the companions of Paradise, ' Peace be upon 
you,' but they cannot enter it, although thej'- so desire." 



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